w 


4- 


y 


u 


^'1^ 


^.    ^_ 


^•^ 


^ 


'*vv 


^ylm^A 


m. 


^t«. 


y>> 


♦V 


LIBRA^RY 


>^ti 


'>* 


-ir..,% 


*z;^  i.' 


'■,%i^ 


•^^ 


*i%- 


j^: 


'X-"^! 


::vJa4^^ 


i^^Kiu::!! 


fl 


HYMNS  AND  CHOIRS: 


OB, 


THE  MATTER  AND  THE  MANNEB 


ln\{\a  of  Sffng  in  \\%  Poust  of  tlje  for^, 


AUSXm  PHELPS  AND  EDWARDS  A.  PAEK, 

PKOFESSORS   AT  AXDOVER, 

AND  DANIEL  L.   FUKBER, 

PASXOE  AT  KEWTOir. 


ANDOYER: 
WARREN   F.   DRAPER. 

BOSTON  :  GOULD  AND  LINCOLN ;   CROSBY.  NICHOLS,  LEE  &  CO. 

NEW  YORK:  JOHN  WILEY. 

PHILADELPHIA :  SaHTH,  ENGLISH  &  CO. 

1860. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1860,  by 

WARREN    F.    DRAPER, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


ANDO yeb: 

ELBCTBOTTPED     AND     PKINTED 
BT     yy.     F.     DEAFEB. 


^ LQdlGZhf 


PREFACE 


The  principles  of  hymnology  are  the  principles  of  worship. 
The  criticfems  upon  hymns  have  essentially  the  same  character 
with  criticisms  upon  prayers.  The  excellences  and  the  faults 
of  hymns  are,  substantially,  the  excellences  and  the  faults  of 
all  addresses  to  God.  As  the  Praise  of  Jehovah  is  but  one 
variety  of  Prayer,  so  a  Christian  Hymn  Book  is  the  most 
seemly  form  of  a  Christian  Prayer  Book.  The  discussions  in 
the  present  volume,  therefore,  derive  their  principal,  if  they 
have  any,  worth,  from  their  liturgical  references.  They  relate 
to  the  matter  and  to  the  manner  of  all  worship.  They  illus- 
trate the  subject  and  the  form  of  prayer  in  general,  by  the 
subject  and  the  form  of  that  species  of  prayer  which  is  ex- 
pressed in  song.  While,  then,  the  immediate  object  of  the 
volume  is  to  examine  the  contents,  the  proportion,  and  the  style 
of  hymns,  and  the  method  of  addressing  them  to  God,  the 
ultimate  object  of  the  volume  is  to  examine  the  principles  that 
underlie  all  modes  of  Christian  worship. 

These  principles  have  been  suggested  to  two  of  the  authors 
of  the  present  volume,  during  the  several  years  which  they 
have  devoted  to  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book.  It  has  been,  there- 
fore, convenient  for  them  to  use  that  manual  freely  in  illustra- 


IV  PREFACE. 

tion  and  defence  of  these  principles.  It  has  been  also  conve- 
nient to  notice  various  criticisms  upon  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book, 
not  merely  for  the  sake  of  justifying  that  manual,  but  chiefly 
for  the  sake  of  giving  greater  prominence  to  certain  principles 
of  worship  with  regard  to  which  discordant  opinions  are  ex- 
pressed by  different  critics.  It  was  easier  to  discuss  these 
principles  in  connection  with  the  criticisms  which  had  become 
familiar  to  the  writers,  than  to  discuss  them  in  a  more  abstract 
and  general  way. 

The  first  chapter  in  the  volume  was  written  by  Professor 
Phelps  ;  the  second,  by  Professor  Park ;  and  nearly  one-half 
of  these  chapters  has  been  published  in  the  Bibliotheca  Sacra. 
The  third  chapter  was  written  by  Rev.  Daniel  L.  Furber, 
Pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Newton  Centre,  Mas- 
sachusetts. Having  had  no  connection  with  the  Sabbath  Hymn 
Book  Series,  he  has  felt  himself  at  liberty  to  speak  of  that 
Series  with  a  freedom  which  might  have  been  unbecoming  in 
his  colleagues. 

The  three  authors  of  these  three  chapters  have  written  in- 
dependently of  each  other,  and  neither  of  the  three  is  respon- 
sible for  any  thought  or  word  of  his  associates.  Their  discus- 
sions are  grouped  together  into  one  volume,  with  a  view  rather 
to  the  affinity  of  subjects,  than  to  the  absolute  unity  of  details. 
It  is  hoped  that  they  may  tend  to  awaken  the  interest  of  pious 
men  in  one  of  the  most  important  parts  of  sacred  and  public 
worship. 

Andovek  Theological  Sbminaby, 
Oct.  8,  1860. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


HYMNOLOGY  AN  EXPRESSION  OF  RELIGIOUS  LIFE. 


PACE 

§  1.  Introductory,    ...... 

.      5 

§  2.  Hymnology  Historic,        ..... 

6 

§  3.  Revival  of  Hymnology  at  the  Reformation, 

.      8 

§  4.  Hymnology  of  the  English  Reformation, 

15 

§  5.  Scriptural  Foundation  of  Hymnology, 

.    21 

§  6.  Identity  of  Psalms  and  Hymns, 

28 

§  7.  Hymns  founded  on  other  portions  of  the  Scriptures 

than  the 

Book  of  Psalms,           ..... 

31 

§  8.  Ancient  Hymnology,  ..... 

.    37 

§  9.  Modern  Hymnology,        ..... 

51 

§  10.  The  Number  of  Hymns,        .... 

.    66 

§11.  Proportion  of  Hymns  on  Prolific  Themes, 

70 

§  12.  Hymns  of  Worship,    ..... 

.    75 

§  13.  Hymns  of  Joy,      .....            ^ 

78 

§  14.  Comminatory  Hymns,           .... 

.     81 

§  15.  Unity  of  Worship,            ..... 

87 

§  16.  Occasional  Hymns,     ..... 

.    91 

Hymns  on  the  Lord's  Supper, 

91 

Hymns  for  Sabbath  Schools,     . 

.    92 

Hymns  on  Civil  Freedom,    .... 

99 

Hymns  of  Dedication  and  Installation, 

.  100 

§  17.  Necessity  of  Inferior  Hymns,     .... 

103 

2  CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

§18.   Omitted  Hymns, 107 

Hymns  Omitted  for  "Want  of  Symmetry, .           .           .  108 
"           "         for  Want  of  Unity,  .           .           .           .113 
"           "        for  Want  of  Character,  .           .           .114 
"           "        for  Relative  Inferiority,        .           .           .115 
"           "        for  Comparative  Uselessness,    .           .  117 
"           "        for  Excessive  License  in  use  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, .....  118 
"           "        for  Want  of  the  Forms  of  Worship,         .  122 
"           "        for  an  Unseemly  Tragic  Character,       .  123 
"           "        for  an  Excess  of  Analytic  Character,        .  123 
"           "        for  Theatrical  Structure,            .           .  124 
Omissions  reqmred  by  many  of  the  laws  of  Song,    .           .  126 
Omission  of  "  The  Dying  Christian  to  his  Soul,"  126 
"         of  "  Warning  to  Magistrates,"        .           .  129 
Conclusion,  ........  136 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  TEXT  OF  HYIMNS. 

Introductory  Remarks  on  the  Perils  and  the  Necessity  of  criti- 
cizing Hymns,      .......  138 

§  1.  The  Relation  of  Changes  in  the  Text  to  the  Rights  of  Authors,  140 
§  2.  The  Relation  of  Changes  in  the  Text  to  the  Encouragement  of 

Authors,      ........  143 

§  3.  The  Immodesty  of  Changing  the  Text  of  Hymns,    .           .  151 
§  4.  The  Probability  that  a  Poet's  Inspiration  -will  surpass  ar  Critic's 

Amendment,     .......  154 

§  5.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  Old  Associations,         .           .  161 
§  6.   Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  the  Uniformity  of  Worship,  172 
§  7.  The  Principle  of  Changes  in  the  Text  lies  at  the  Basis  of  Mod- 
ern English  Hymnology,        .....  177 

k  8.   The  Principle  of  Deviating  from  another's  Text,  is  substantially 

the  Principle  of  Quoting  another's  Words,  .           .            .  186 


CONTENTS.  6 

PAGE 

§  9.  Difficulty  of  ascertaining  the  Original  Text  of  some  Hymns,    .    197 
§  10.   Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Biblical  and  Evangelical 

Character,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .206 

§  11.   Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Dignity,  .  .         212 

§  12.   Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Vivacity,     .  .  .216 

§  13.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Solemnity,         .  .         223 

§  14.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Neatness,    .  .  .230 

§  15.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Vigor,     .  .  .234 

§  16.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affectmg  its  Poetical  and  Lyrical 

Character, 237 

§  17.  The  Adaptation  of  a  Hymn  to  the  State  of  Mind  in  Public 

Worship, 244 

§  18.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  the  Fundamental  Qualities  of 

the  Style,  .......         250 

§  19.   Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  the  Service  of  Song,  .  .    256 

§  20.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  resulting  from  Changes  in  the  Applica- 
tion of  a  Hymn.     .......    270 

§  21.  The  Indispensable  Necessity  of  some  Alterations  in  some  Hymns,    277 
§  22.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Consistency  with  itself,     .    283 
§  23.  Changes  in  a  Hymn  as  affecting  its  Availability,        .  .         290 

§  24.  Concluding  Remarks,  ......    294 

On  the  Completeness  of  a  Particular  Hymn,     .  .  294 

On  the  Symmetry  of  an  Entire  Collection,  .  .     295 

'^  On  a  Test  for  Criticisms,  ....  296 

The  General  Rule /or  and  against  Alterations,       .  .     297 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  DIGNITY  AND  THE  METHODS  OF  WORSHIP  IN  SONG. 

§  1.  Existing  Feeling  and  Usage  respecting  the  Service  of  Praise,    .  299 
§  2.  The  Dignity  of  Praise,  as  seen  in  its  Nature,   .            .            .  304 
§  3.  The  Dignity  of  Praise,  as  seen  in  the  Divine  Appointments  re- 
specting it,        ......           .  306 


4  CONTENTS. 

PAOE 

§  4.  The  Manner  of  Praise,  as  indicated  hy  the  Nature  of  the  Service,  312 
§  5.  The  Manner  of  Praise,  as  indicated  by  the  Common  Eflfect  of 

Choir-singing,        .......  316 

§  6.  Choir-singing  appropriately  Jewish,     ....  320 

§  7.  The  Manner  of  Praise,  as  indicated  by  the  Nature  of  the  Chris- 
tian Dispensation,        ......  323 

§  8.  Singing  Habits  of  the  Early  Christians,    ....  327 

§  9.  The  Mode  of  Song  adopted  by  the  Reformers,  .  .  332 

^  10,  Congregational  Psalmody  in  its  Moral  and  Religious  Influence,  337 

§11.  Elevated  Religious  Feeling  usually  seeks  expression  in  Song,  349 

§  12.  Practical  Remarks  on  Congregational  Singing,  .  .  355 

1.  Influence  of  Ministers,       .....  358 

2.  Children's  Singing,       .....  359 

3.  Choirs,  .......  365 

4.  Unisonous  Singing,      .....  368 

Miscellaneous  Details. 

1.  Attitude  in  Singing,     .....  376 

2.  Position  of  the  Organ,        .           .           .           .  .377 

3.  Meetings  for  Practice,  .....  378 

4.  The  Hymn  and  its  Tune,  .           .           .           .  .379 

5.  Musical  Expression,     .....  380 

6.  Organ  Interludes,    .           .           .           .           .  .386 

Congregational  Tunes. 

1.  Should  be  Simple,         .....  389 

2.  Should  be  Natural,             .           .           .           .  .390 

3.  Should  be  Easy  to  Sing,           .           .           .           .  393 

4.  Should  be  Strong,   .           .           .           .           .  .397 

5.  Should  be  Spirited,       .....  398 

6.  Should  possess  Variety,  .  .  .  .  .399 
§  13.  Illustrations  of  the  preceding  Remarks,  .  .  .  401 
§  14.  Brief  statement  of  Rules  for  Congregational  Singing,  .  .     424 


HY]MNS  AND  CHOIES, 


CHAPTER    I. 

HYMXOLOGY  AX  EXPRESSION  OF  RELIGIOUS  LIFE. 

§  1.   Introductory, 

A  GOOD  Hymn  Book  must  be  a  good  manual  of  re- 
ligious experience.  The  Ideal  of  a  perfect  Hymn 
Book  is  that  of  a  perfect  expression  of  the  real  life 
of  the  church,  in  forms  perfectly  adjusted  to  the  ser- 
vice of  song.  It  excludes,  on  the  one  hand,  lyric  poetry 
which  is  only  poetry,  though  it  be  on  sacred  themes; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  equally  unfriendly  to  devo- 
tional rhymes  which,  though  truthful,  are  so  unworthy 
in  respect  of  poetic  form  as  to  degrade  the  truths  they 
embody;  and  yet  again,  it  rejects,  as  unbecoming  to 
the  sanctuary,  those  religious  poems  which  are  both 
true  to  thje  Christian  life  and  unexceptionable  in  their 
poetic  spirit,  and  yet  are  of  such  rhythmic  structure 
as  to  be  unfit  for  expression  with  the  accompaniment 
of  music.  Genuineness  of  religious  emotion,  refine- 
ment of  poetic  taste,  and  fitness  to  musical  cadence 
— these  three  are  essential  to  a  faultless  hymn,  as  the 
three  chief  graces  to  a  faultless  character.  Yet  "  the 
greatest  of  these,"  that  grace  which  above  all  else 
vitalizes  a  true  hymn,  is  that  which  makes  it  true — its 

1* 


6  HYMNOLOGY   HISTORIC. 

fidelity  to  the  realities  of  religious  experience.  Every 
true  hymn  is  a  "  Psalm  of  Life  :  "  some  soul  has  lived 
it.  A  manual  of  such  psalmody  is  the  guide  which 
the  church  needs  in  her  worship  of  God  in  song. 

§  2.   Hymnology  Historic. 

Such  a  manual  must  therefore  be  pervaded  by  a 
historic  spirit.  We  must  search  for  its  materials  along 
the  track  which  a  living  church  has  trodden  ;  and  must 
expect  to  find  them  in  the  richest  profusion,  where  the 
life  of  the  church  has  been  most  intense.  The  search 
cannot  disappoint  us.  It  is  a  signal  fact  that  the  his- 
tory of  hymnology  and  the  history  of  piety  are  syn- 
chronous in  their  development.  Hymnology  has  not 
been  swayed  mainly  by  the  mutations  of  literature  as 
such,  but  by  those  of  the  religious  vitality  of  the 
church.  The  rise  and  fall  of  the  one  have  been  the 
invariable  exponent  of  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  other. 
Hebrew  piety  created  the  Hebrew  literature,  and  that 
found  its  chief  expression  in  the  Hebrew  psalmody. 
The  "  Psalms  and  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs "  of 
the  apostolic  churches,  were  an  out-gushing  of  the  new 
spirit  of  Christianity,  which  does  not  seem  to  have 
restricted  itself  to  the  ancient  songs  of  the  temple,  or 
of  the  synagogue.  Even  the  miraculous  endowments 
of  the  first  Christian  age,  appear  to  have  manifested 
one  class  of  their  phenomena  in  the  inspired  improvi- 
sation of  psalms.  The  earliest  Christian  historians 
agree  in  affirming,  that  the  Christian  communities  of 
their  times  employed  in  the  worship  of  the  sanctuary, 
not  only  the  Psalms  and  other  metrical  passages  of 
the  Old  Testament,  but  also  hymns  original  to  the 


HYMNOLOGY  HISTORIC.  7 

age,  and  which  the  religious  character  of  the  age  de- 
manded for  its  own  expression.  Tertullian  states  that 
each  participant  in  the  ancient  agapcd  was  invited,  at 
the  close  of  the  feast,  to  sing  as  he  might  prefer  "  either 
from  the  holy  Scriptures,  or  from  the  dictates  of  his 
own  spirit,  a  song  of  adoration  to  God."  Contempo- 
raneous heathen  writers,  also,  recount  in  the  same 
breath,  the  mild  virtues  of  the  new  sect  and  their  cus- 
tom of  "singing  hymns,  of  antiphonal  structure,  to 
Christ  as  to  a  God." 

In  the  emergencies  of  the  early  church,  the  spirit  of 
martyrdom  found  solace  in  hymns  which  the  sufferers 
sung  in  dungeons,  and  on  their  way  to  the  cross  or  the 
stake.  Augustine  speaks  of  the  effect  he  experienced 
in  listening  to  the  psalms  and  hymns,  on  his  first 
entrance  into  the  church  at  Milan  after  his  conversion. 
He  says  :  "  The  voices  flowed  in  at  my  ears,  truth  was 
distilled  in  my  heart,  and  the  affection  of  piety  over- 
flowed in  sweet  tears  of  joy."  He  adds  that  the  cus- 
tom of  chanting  hymns  and  psalms  had  been  intro- 
duced from  the  East,  among  the  Milanese  Christians, 
"  that  the  people  might  not  languish  and  pine  away  in 
sorrow,"  under  the  Arian  persecution  by  the  empress 
Justina.  Others  of  the  Fathers  remark  that  the  singing 
of  the  ancient  chm'ches  often  attracted  "  Gentiles  "  to 
their  worship,  who  were  baptized  before  their  depar- 
ture.^ 

An  evidence  of  the  pious  usage,  which  must  already 
have  become  general  among  Christians  in  the  East, 

'  Upon  this  fact,  an  English  writer  of  the  last  century  observes  :  "  The 
generality  q>{  our  parochial  music  is  not  likely  to  produce  similar  effects  ; 
being  such  as  would  sooner  drive  Christians  with  good  cars  out  of  the 
church,  than  draw  Pagans  into  it." 


8  HYMNOLOGY   OP   THE   REFORMATION. 

appears  in  the  abuse  of  the  usage  in  the  time  of 
Chrysostom,  when  bands  of  Orthodox  and  Arian  chor- 
isters were  organized  to  perambulate  the  streets  of 
Constantinople,  singing  hymns  upon  the  rival  doc- 
trines, in  imitation  of  the  processional  singing  of  the 
pagans.  Some  of  the  hymns  thus  claiming  for  theol- 
ogy an  alhance  with  song,  Chrysostom  himself  com- 
posed. During  the  eclipse  of  faith  which  succeeded, 
the  most  conclusive  token  which  remained,  to  come 
down  to  our  day,  in  proof  that  the  vitality  of  the 
church  had  not  died  out,  was  the  voices  from  the  clois- 
ters, here  and  there,  in  spiritual  songs  which  the  church 
still  welcomes  as  treasures.  One  might  trace  out, 
correctly,  both  the  corruption  and  the  life  of  the  church, 
through  that  whole  night  of  the  Middle  Ages,  by  the 
line  of  hymnological  literature  alone.  If  indeed  we 
must  choose  between  the  creeds  and  the  songs  of  the 
church,  for  a  test  of  her  growth  or  decadence  in  spir- 
ituality, we  would  select  her  songs,  as  her  most  honest 
utterances. 


§  3.    Revival  of  Hymnology  at  the  Reformation. 

The  most  remarkable,  because  the  most  sharply  de- 
fined, illustration  of  the  sympathy  of  hymnology  with 
the  piety  of  the  church,  appears  in  the  history  of  the 
Reformation.  One  of  the  first  symptoms  of  that  great 
awakening,  was  the  revival  of  a  taste  and  a  demand 
for  religious  songs  in  the  vernacular  tongues.  The 
demand  was  sudden,  and  the  result  of  no  visible  de- 
sign. It  does  not  seem  to  have  followed  the  labors  of 
the  reformed  clergy,  so  much  as  to  have  been  simulta- 
neous with  them — the  working  of  a  hidden  force  which 


CLEMENT   MAROT.  9 

moved  both  the  clergy  and  the  people.  Its  first  man- 
ifestation on  a  large  scale,  was  attended  by  one  of 
those  anomalies  by  which  the  providence  of  God  often 
attests  its  secret  agency,  in  the  selection  of  singular 
and  improbable  instrumentalities.  The  history  of  the 
phenomenon,  already  well  known  as  one  of  the  "  Curi- 
osities of  Literature,"  is  worthy  of  review.  Clement 
Marot,  "  a  valet  of  the  bedchamber  to  king  Francis 
the  First,  and  the  favorite  poet  of  France,  tired  of  the 
vanities  of  profane  poetry,  or  rather  privately  tinctured 
with  the  principles  of  Lutheranism,  attempted  with 
the  assistance  of  his  friend  Theodore  Beza,  and  by  the 
encouragement  of  the  professor  of  Hebrew  [Vatable] 
in  the  University  of  Paris,  a  version  of  David's  Psalms  \J 
into  French  rhymes."  It  was  about  the  year  1540. 
The  amorous  ditties  of  the  poet  had  previously  been 
the  delight  of  the  French  court ;  and  in  dedicating  his 
version  of  the  Psalms  in  part  "  to  the  ladies  of  France," 
he  apologizes  to  them  for  the  surprise  they  would  expe- 
rience in  receiving  from  him  such  an  offering  to  their 
literary  taste.  No  evidence  appears  that  the  "  tincture  " 
of  Lutheranism  which,  it  is  said,  Marot  had  privately 
imbibed,  was  such  as  to  give  to  this  literary  "coup 
d'etat "  the  character  of  a  design  to  revolutionize  the 
ballads  of  the  nation,  or  to  aid  the  dissemination  of 
the  reformed  faith,  or  even  to  express  his  own.  It  was 
rather  a  freak  of  poetic  license,  sobered  somewhat  by 
the  personal  influence  of  Beza,  who  may  have  enter- 
tained more  intelligent  hopes  respecting  the  result. 
But  the  most  sanguine  Reformer  could  scarcely  have 
indulged  anticipations  equal  to  the  reality.  The  pub- 
lication of  Marot's  Psalms  marked  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  the  times.      His  previous  contributions  to 


10  CLEMENT    MAROT. 

the  polite  literature  of  the  day  were  forgotten  in  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  the  court  of  Francis  received 
the  "  Sainctes  Chansonettes,"  as  the  poet  termed  his 
versions  from  the  Hebrew  Psalter.  No  suspicion  was, 
at  first,  awakened  of  the  tendency  of  the  work  tow- 
ards the  heresy  of  Wittenburg  and  Geneva.  The  Cath- 
olics were  among  the  most  eager  purchasers  of  the 
volume,  and  the  press  was  overburdened  to  meet  their 
demands.  The  doctors  of  the  Sorbonne  saw  no  reason 
for  withholding  their  sanction  from  that  which  they 
seem  to  have  regarded  as  only  a  literary  innovation, 
bold  and  fascinating  to  the  frivolous,  but  probably  des- 
tined to  a  brief  notoriety.  The  consequence  was,  that 
"  in  the  festive  and  splendid  court  of  Francis,  of  a  sud- 
den," as  we  are  told,  "  nothing  was  heard  but  the 
Psalms  of  Clement  Marot.  They  were  the  common 
accompaniment  of  the  fiddle  ;  and  with  a  characteristic 
liveliness  of  fancy,  by  each  of  the  royal  family  and  the 
principal  nobility  of  the  court,  a  psalm  was  chosen  and 
fitted  to  the  ballad-tune  which  each  liked  best.  This 
fashion  does  not  seem,  in  the  least,  to  have  diminished 
tlie  gayety  and  good  humor  of  the  court  of  Francis." 
Such,  regarded  merely  as  a  literary  phenomenon,  was 
the  adventure  of  the  ballad-singer  into  the  field  of 
Hebrew  Psalmody,  for  the  entertainment  of  the  "  ladies 
of  France."  But  in  the  providence  of  God  it  had  a 
deeper  meaning. 

The  apostles  of  the  Reformation  were,  just  at  this 
time,  meditating  improvements  in  their  liturgical  ser- 
vices. Luther  in  Germany  and  Calvin  at  Geneva,  were 
intent  upon  abandoning  the  antiphonal  chanting  in 
which  the  people  took  no  part.  Before  the  publication 
of  Marot's  "  Chansonettes,"  Luther,  in  a  letter  to  Spal- 


THE    GENEVAN   HYMNOLOGY.  11 

atinus,  had  said  :  "  I  am  looking  out  for  poets  to  trans- 
late the  whole  of  the  Psalms  into  the  German  tongue ;" 
and  Calvin  had  proceeded  so  far  as  to  project,  with  the 
advice  of  Luther,  the  translation  of  portions  of  the 
Psalms  into  the  French  language,  and  the  adaptation 
of  them  to  melodies,  by  which  all  could  share  in  the 
public  service  of  song.  The  juncture  of  events  was 
most  opportune.  Calvin,  with  characteristic  prompt- 
ness, availed  himself  of  Marot's  gallantry,  and  instantly 
introduced  the  poet's  thirty  metrical  versions  from  the 
Psalter  into  the  reformed  church  of  Geneva.  On  a  cer- 
tain Sabbath  of  the  year  1540,  might  have  been  heard, 
probably,  the  noble  ladies  and  lords  of  the  court  of  his 
most  Catholic  majesty,  and  the  humble  congregation 
of  the  heresiarch  of  Geneva,  singing  the  same  words 
from  the  new  psalm  book ! 

The  fashion  of  the  court  was  short-lived.  Not  so 
the  usage  introduced  by  the  Genevan  worshippers. 
Marot  soon  added  twenty  to  the  thirty  versions  of  the 
Psalms  which  he  had  first  translated,  and  the  whole 
were  published,  with  a  preface  written  by  Calvin,  in 
1543.  The  new  movement  by  which  the  people  were 
to  be  made  participants  in  the  service  of  song,  by  means 
of  metrical  psalms  in  their  own  language,  was  thus 
fairly  inaugurated.  Its  effect  was  electric.  The  Scrip- 
tures, which  had  long  been  shut  up  in  a  dead  language, 
were  thus  released,  in  part,  to  the  understanding  and 
heart  of  the  worshippers,  in  metrical  forms  which,  how- 
ever rude,  were  not  so  to  the  taste  of  the  age.  They 
were  welcomed  with  unbounded  enthusiasm.  That 
cardinal  principle  of  the  Reformation,  by  which  respon- 
sibility was  individualized,  was  thus  infused  into  the 
theory  and  practice  of  worship,  and  the  heart  of  the 


12  THE    GENEVAN   HYMNOLOGY. 

people  opened  to  receive  it,  gratefully.  The  new 
method  of  worship  struck  deep  to  the  supply  of  wants, 
of  which  nothing  could  have  made  the  popular  mind 
sensible,  but  a  revived  spirituality  of  faith.  It  spread 
itself  like  the  light.  The  golden  candlestick  at  Geneva 
sent  forth  its  rays  far  and  wide.  In  the  language  of 
Warton,  "  France  and  Germany  were  instantly  infatu- 
ated with  a  love  of  psalm-singing.  .  .  .  The  energetic 
hymns  of  Geneva  exhilarated  the  convivial  assemblies 
of  the  Calvinists,  were  commonly  heard  in  the  streets, 
and  accompanied  the  labors  of  the  artificer.  .  .  .  They 
found  their  way  to  the  cities  of  the  Low  Countries, 
and  under  their  inspiration  many  of  the  weavers  and 
woollen  manufacturers  of  Flanders  left  their  looms 
and  entered  into  the  ministry  of  the  gospel."  German, 
Dutch,  Bohemian,  and  Polish  versions  of  the  Psalms, 
in  metre,  and  both  French  and  German  hymns,  were 
soon  multiplied  to  an  almost  fabulous  extent.  The 
enthusiasm  of  Luther  in  the.  work  is  well  known  ;  and 
the  popularity  of  his  sixty-three  hymns  may  be  infer- 
red from  the  fact  that  spurious  Collections  were  hawked 
about  the  cities  of  Germany,  under  his  name.  Hymns 
in  the  vernacular  dialects  became  a  power  in  the  Refor- 
mation, coordinate  with  that  of  the  pulpit.  Upon  the 
masses  of  the  people  they  were  far  more  potent  than 
any  other  uninspired  productions  of  the  press.  At 
Augsburg,  in  1551,  "  three  or  four  thousand  singing 
together  at  a  time,"  was  "  but  a  trifle."  The  youth  of 
the  day  sung  them  in  place  of  ribald  songs ;  mothers 
sung  them  beside  the  cradle  ;  journeymen  and  servants 
sung  them  at  their  labor,  and  market-men  in  the  streets, 
and  husbandmen  in  the  fields.  At  length,  the  "six 
thousand  hymns  "  of  a  single  poet,  Hans  Sachs,  bore 


PSALM    SINGING    AND    HERESY.  13 

witness  to  the  avidity  of  the  demand  and  the  copious- 
ness of  the  supply. 

Meanwhile  the  doctors  of  the  Sorbonne  had  second 
thoughts  respecting  the  Psalter  of  Clement  Marot. 
They  marvelled  to  see  it  published  with  the  imprimatur 
of  Calvin  and  affixed  to  the  Catechism  of  Geneva. 
They  bethought  themselves  of  the  peril  of  allowing 
the  people  to  sing  the  word  of  God  in  their  mother 
tongue ;  they  induced  the  king  to  forbid  Marot  to  con- 
tinue his  work ;  and  the  use  of  that  and  all  similar  ver- 
sions of  the  Psalms  was  interdicted  to  the  Catholics, 
under  severe  penalties.  The  use  of  metrical  psalms, 
in  the  vulgar  tongue,  became  a  test  of  Protestantism. 
"  Psalm-singing  and  heresy  were  regarded  ias  synony- 
mous terms."  Marot  himself  was  apprehended  on  sus- 
picion of  heresy,  and  thrown  into  prison,  from  which 
he  was  released  only  on  condition  of  his  renewed  ad- 
herence to  the  mother  church.  Such  was  the  Protes- 
tant reputation  of  his  Psalms,  however,  in  their  prox- 
imity to  the  Genevan  Catechism,  that  he  found  it 
necessary  to  retire  from  France,  though  he  said  of 
himself:  "  I  am  neither  Lutheran  nor  Zuinglian.  I  am 
one  whose  delight  and  whose  labor  it  is  to  exalt  my 
Saviour  and  his  all  gracious  mother." 

The  historian  of  English  poetry  ingeniously  attrib- 
utes this  entire  movement,  and  the  rapid  propagation 
of  Calvinism  consequent  upon  it,  to  the  address  of 
Calvin  in  planning  a  "mode  of  universal  psalmody," 
the  rudeness  of  which  could  draw  converts  "  from  the 
meanest  of  the  people,"  and  which  should  take  the 
place  of  the  Catholic  pageantries  and  pictures,  in  the 
indispensable  work  of  "  keeping  his  congregation  in 
good  humor  by  some  kind  of  allurement,  which  might 

2 


14  PSALMSINGING   AND   TASTE. 

enliven  their  attendance  on  the  rigid  duties  of  praying 
and  preaching."  But  a  wiser  criticism  will  discern  in 
it  no  human  strategy.  It  was  the  spontaneous  upris- 
ing of  a  demand  which  the  Spirit  of  truth  had  aroused 
by  the  revival  of  pious  faith,  and  to  which  the  provi- 
dence of  God  responded,  in  such  means  for  its  supply 
as  the  literature  of  the  times  could  be  made  to  furnish. 
The  quickened  heart  of  the  people  awoke  to  an  experi- 
ence which  they  could  express  only  in  Christian  song. 
They  sung  it  because  they  must  sing  it ;  and  as  soon 
as  they  could  find  words  and  measures  in  which  they 
could  sing  it  with  the  spirit  and  the  understanding, 
however  uncouthly  to  the  taste  of  a  later  age,  when  it 
requked  no  superior  literary  discernment  in  Voltaire 
to  say,  that  "  in  proportion  as  good  taste  improved,  the 
Psalms  of  Clement  Marot  inspired  only  disgust."  A 
living  scholar  has  observed,  more  profoundly,  that  "  the 
Divine  Spirit  has  always  employed  the  ministry  of  that 

poetry  which  was  the  poetry  of  the  age as  he 

has  hallowed  the  prevalent  dialects  of  speech."  We 
probably  shall  not  greatly  err  in  believing,  that  those 
metrical  versions  of  the  Psalms  which  the  Reformers 
commended  to  the  use  of  their  churches,  were  the  best 
that  could  have  been  created  by  the  taste,  and  appreci- 
ated by  the  piety,  of  that  generation.  They  certainly 
did  not  offend  the  one,  and  they  did  express  the  other. 
All  things  considered,  we  may  venture  to  think  of 
them,  as  an  old  English  critic  said  of  an  English  met- 
rical Psalter :  "  Match  these  verses  for  their  age,  and 
they  shall  go  abreast  with  the  best  poems  of  those 
times." 


HYMNOLOGY   IN   ENGLAND.  15 

§  4.   Hymnology  of  the  English  Reformation, 

Wherever  the  spirit  of  the  Reformation  went,  there 
followed  the  new  system  of  popular  participation  in 
the  service  of  song.  It  soon  passed  over  from  the 
Continent  to  England.  And  here  its  history  is  marked 
by  the  same  sympathy  with  spiritual  piety,  that  char- 
acterized its  origin  in  the  reformed  churches  of  Ger- 
many and  Switzerland.  Two  centuries  before,  the 
prelude  of  it  had  been  heard  in  the  psalmody  of  the 
disciples  of  Wicklif,  and  now  as  then,  the  quickening 
of  religious  life  uttered  itself  in  the  revival  of  sacred 
melodies.  Among  the  dignitaries  of  the  English  church 
and  state,  the  innovation  was  approved  by  those  who 
were  friendly  to  the  spirit  of  reform,  and  opposed  by  the 
adherents  of  Rome.  The  people  generally  were  jubi- 
lant at  its  introduction.  Those  refugees  from  the  in- 
tolerance of  queen  Mary,  whom  the  accession  of  Eliza- 
beth had  restored  to  their  benefices,  had  returned  full 
of  zeal  for  the  Genevan  modes  of  worship,  and  espec- 
ially psalm-singing,  as  well  as  for  the  Genevan  theol- 
ogy. The  sympathy  of  the  people  with  the  continen- 
tal innovations  in  worship,  is  described  by  Thomas 
Warton  as  "this  infectious  frenzy  of  sacred  song." 
Saysi)ishop  Jewel :  "  As  soon  as  they  had  commenced 
singing  in  public,  in  one  little  church  in  London,  imme- 
diately not  only  the  churches  in  the  neighborhood,  but 
even  towns  far  distant,  began  to  vie  with  each  other 
in  the  practice."  At  St.  Paul's  Cross,  six  thousand 
persons,  of  all  ages,  might  be  heard  singing  the  new 
songs ;  which,  in  the  shrewd  judgment  of  the  bishop, 
was  "  sadly  annoying  to  the  mass-priests  and  the  devil."  / 
Puritanism,  then  in  embryo,  throbbed  with  the  popular 


16  PSALM    SINGING   AND   PURITANISM. 

exhilaration.  The  church  of  England,  with  her  charac- 
teristic spmt  of  compromise,  retained  the  choral  mode 
of  singing  in  the  cathedrals  and  collegiate  churches, 
and  continued  the  use  of  the  liturgic  hymns  in  her 
prayer-book ;  but  provided  for  the  popular  demand  by 
a  metrical  version  of  the  Psalms,  which  were  "  set  forth 
and  alloived  to  be  sung  in  churches  of  all  the  people 
together."  Such  was  the  origin  of  the  metrical  Psalter 
which  still  bears  the  names  of  its  chief  translators: 
"  The  whole  Booke  of  Psalmes,  collected  into  English 
Metre  by  T.  Sternhold,  J.  Hopkins,  and  others,  confer- 
red with  the  Ebrue,  with  apt  Notes  to  sing  them  with- 
all."  The  use  of  metrical  psalmody  instantly  became 
the  badge,  and  the  test,  of  sympathy  with  the  new  life 
which  the  Reformation  was  breathing  into  the  churches 
of  Great  Britain.  "  It  was  a  sign  by  which  men's  affec- 
tions to  the  work  of  the  Reformation  were  everywhere 
measured,  whether  they  used  to  sing  [David's  Psalms] 
or  not."  As  psalm-singing  and  heresy  were  synonymes 
on  the  Continent,  so  psalm-singing  and  Puritanism  be- 
came synonymes  in  England.  The  Psalms  in  the  vulgar 
tongue  were,  on  the  one  hand,  stigmatized  as  "  Geneva 
Jiggs  "  and  "Beza's  Ballets,"  and  on  the  other  hand, 
they  were  numbered  among  the  national  ballads,  and 
at  length  among  the  war-songs  of  the  people.*  The 
proclamation  against  the  Queen  of  Scots,  in  London, 
in  1586,  was  received  with  the  "  ringing  of  bells,  mak- 
ing of  bonfires,  and  singing  of  psalms^  in  every  one 
of  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city."  The  forces  of 
the  Parliament  "in  Marston  cornfield,  feQ  to  singing 
psalms ;  "  and  after  the  battle  of  Dunbar,  the  "republi- 
can soldiers,  with  their  general  Lambert,  halted  near 
Haddington    and  sung  the  one  hundred  and  seven- 


GEORGE    WITHER.  17' 

teenth  Psalm."  A  comedy  of  the  times  represents  the 
"  Roundheads  "  as  being  "  used  to  sing  a  Psahn,  and 
then  fall  on.^^  They  were  not  only  used  with  "  ravish- 
ing effect,"  in  the  public  worship  of  the  sanctuaries, 
but  were  sung  at  weddings  and  at  funerals  and  at  na- 
tional festivals. 

It  was  in  the  public  service  of  song  on  the  Sabbath, 
however,  that  the  sphit  of  the  age  proclaimed  itself 
most  vigorously  on  the  vexed  question  of  psalm-sing- 
ing. We  cannot  more  vividly  picture  it,  than  by  cita- 
tions (the  length  of  which  will  be  open  to  no  censure, 
at  least  from  the  advocates  of  modern  congregational 
singing)  from  the  pen  of  George  Wither,  a  poet  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  one  of  its  many  versifiers  on 
sacred  themes.  In  1623,  he  published  a  volume  of 
"  Hymns  and  Songs  'of  the  Church,"  for  which  he  ob- 
tained a  royal  patent  that  sounds  strangely  enough  to 
modern  editors  of  hymnology.  It  not  only  gave  to  the 
author  "  fuU  and  free  license  to  imprint  said  book,"  but 
it  also  forbade  that  any  other  English  psalm  book,  in 
metre,  should  be  "  uttered  or  sold,  unless  these  hymns 
were  coupled  with  it ; "  and  he  was  at  liberty  to  con- 
fiscate any  metrical  collection  of  psalmody  which  was 
found  destitute  of  his  hymns  I  In  a  "  Preparation  for 
the  Psalter,"  which  this  privileged  poet  issued  not  long 
before  the  publication  of  his  hymn  book,  he  defends  the 
rendering  of  the  Psalms  in  metre,  by  argument  which 
the  sturdy  convictions  of  the  age  appreciated.  "  The 
Divell  is  not  ignorant,"  he  says,  "  of  the  power  of  these 
divine  Charmes  ;  that  there  lurks  in  Poesy  an  enchant- 
ing sweetness  that  steals  into  the  hearts  of  men  before 
they  be  aware ;  and  that  (the  subject  being  divine)  it 
can  infuse  a  kind  of  heavenly  Enthusiasm^  such  delight 

2* 


*18  SERVICE   OF   SONG   AT   YORK. 

into  the  soule,  and  beget  so  ardent  an  affection  unto 
the  purity  of  God's  Word,  as  it  will  be  impossible  for 
the  most  powerful  Exorcisms  to  conjure  out  of  them 
the  love  of  such  delicacies,  but  they  will  be  unto  them 
(as  David  saith)  sweeter  than  liony  or  the  hony  comhe. 
And  this  secret  working  which  verse  hath  is  excellently 
expressed  by  our  drad  Soveraigne  that  now  is  (James 
I.)  in  a  Poem  of  his,  long  since  penned:  — 

'  For  verses  power  is  sike,  it  softly  glides 
Througli  secret  pores,  and  in  the  senses  hides, 
And  makes  men  have  that  gude  in  them  imprinted, 
Which  by  the  learned  worke  is  represented.' 

By  reason  of  this  power,  our  adversaries  feare  the  oper- 
ation of  the  divine  Word  expressed  in  Numbers ;  and 
that  hath  made  them  so  bitter 'against  our  versified 
Psalmes;  yea  (as  I  have  heard  say),  they  term  the  sing- 
ing of  them  in  our  vulgar  tongues,  the  Witch  of  Her- 
esyP  Thus  were  the  early  psalmists  of  Britain  accus- 
tomed to  contend  for  the  popular  participation  in  the 
service  of  song.  The  question,  in  their  robust  faith,  lay 
between  the  pope  and  the  "witch  of  heresy;"  between 
a  "  heavenly  enthusiasm  "  and  "  exorcisms  "  from  the 
nether  world;  between  "divine  charmes"  and  the 
"  Divell." 

That  the  "  divine  charmes  "  had  the  best  of  the  argu- 
ment practically,  will  hardly  be  doubted  by  one  who 
reads  the  testimony  of  Thomas  Mace,  a  practitioner 
on  the  lute  in  the  seventeenth  century,  distinguished 
among  lovers  of  music  in  his  day  by  a  folio,  whose 
title,  for  its  entertaining  egotism,  might  stand  as  a 
model  of  a  modern  advertisement :  "  Music's  Monu- 
ment ;  or  a  Remembrancer  of  the  best  Practical  Music, 


SERVICE    OF    SONG    AT    YORK.  19 

both  Divine  and  Civil,  that  has  ever  been  known  to 
have  been  in  the  World."  This  simple  hearted  musi- 
cian speaks  of  the  siege  of  York  in  1644,  which  con- 
tinued for  eleven  weeks,  and  during  which,  on  every 
Sunday,  the  old  Minster  was  "  even  cramming  or 
squeezing  full."  And  "  sometimes  a  cannon  bullet  has 
come  in  at  the  windows,  and  bounced  about  from  pil- 
lar to  pillar,  even  hke  some  furious  fiend  or  evil  spirit." 
But  "now  here  you  must  take  notice  that  they  had 
then  a  custom  in  that  church,  which  I  hear  not  in  any 
other  cathedral ;  which  was,  that  always  before  the  ser- 
mon, the  whole  congregation  sang  a  Psalm,  together 
with  the  quire  apd  the  organ  ;  and  you  must  also  know, 
that  there  was  then  a  most  excellent,  large,  plump, 
lusty,  full-speaking  organ,  which  cost,  I  am  credibly  in- 
formed, a  thousand  pounds.  This  organ,  I  say,  when 
the  Psalm  was  set  before  sermon,  being  let  out  into  all 
its  fulness  of  stops,  together  with  the  quire,  began  the 
Psalm.  But  when  that  vast  concording  unity  of  the 
whole  congregational  chorus  came,  as  I  may  say,  thun- 
dering in,  even  so  as  it  made  the  very  ground  shake 
under  us;  oh!  the  unutterable, ravishing,  soul's  delight! 
in  the  which  I  was  so  transported  and  wrapt  up  in 
high  contemplations,  that  there  was  no  room  left  in  my 
whole  man,  viz.  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  for  anything 
below  Divine  and  heavenly  raptures ;  nor  could  there 
possibly  be  anything  to  which  that  very  singing  might 
be  truly  compared,  except  the  right  apprehension  or 
conceiving  of  that  glorious  and  miraculous  quire,  re- 
corded in  the  Scriptures,  at  the  dedication  of  the  Tem- 
ple." Tm-ning  to  II.  Chronicles,  5 :  13,  14,  we  read, 
"  It  came  even  to  pass,  as  the  trumpeters  and  singers 
were  as  one,  to  make  one  sound  to  be  heard  in  prais- 


/ 


20  POWER   OF   THE   ENGLISH   HYMN. 

ing  and  thanking  the  Lord ;  and  when  they  lifted  up 
their  voice  with  the  trumpets,  and  cymbals,  and  instru- 
ments of  music,  and  praised  the  Lord,  saying,  '  For  he 
is  good ;  for  his  mercy  endureth  forever ; '  that  then  the 
house  was  filled  with  a  cloud,  even  the  house  of  the 
Lord :  so  that  the  priests  could  not  stand  to  minister 
by  reason  of  the  cloud ;  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord  had 
filled  the  house  of  God." 

Abating  much  from  the  religious  character  of  the 
psalm-singing  of  England  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
on  account  of  the  political  passions  of  the  day,  it  still 
admits  of  no  reasonable  question,  that  the  religious 
element  prevailed  over  all  others  in  introducing  and 
perpetuating  the  innovation.  For,  the  innovation  has 
lived,  as  nothing  of  the  kind  can,  which  is  not  an  expo- 
nent of  religious  vitality.  The  passions  of  that  age 
have  passed  away,  and  with  them  the  excrescenses  they 
created  in  and  around  the  national  psalmody ;  but  that 
psalmody,  improved  by  a  purer  taste,  has  become  pop- 
ular literature,  to  an  extent  which  cannot  be  affirmed 
of  any  other  department  of  English  poetiy.  The  an- 
cient English  and  Scottish  ballad  can  sustain  no  com- 
parison in  point  of  power  over  the  national  character, 
with  the  English  hymn.  Next  to  king  James's  version 
of  the  Scriptures,  it  has  been  the  chief  power  in  defin- 
ing and  fixing  the  English  language.  It  has  received 
the  reverent  labors  of  men  whom  the  world  delights  to 
honor,  —  of  such  as  Sir  Philip  Sydney,  lord  Bacon, 
Milton,  Henry  More,  Addison,  of  bishops  and  arch- 
bishops of  the  established  church,  as  weU  as  of  men, 
who  loved  to  subscribe  their  names  to  their  devout  effu- 
sions, by  the  title  of  "  sometime  minister  of  the  gospel." 
Wherever  the  English  language  has  gone,  it  has  car- 


SCRIPTURAL   HYMNOLOGY.  21 

ried  with  it  the  English  hymnology,  with  the  taste  to 
appreciate  it,  and  the  heart  to  use  it ;  and  every  new 
baptism  of  religious  life,  like  that  which  resulted  in  the 
rise  of  Methodism,  has  given  a  new  spirit  to  that  hymn- 
ology, and  enlarged  its  compass.  To  this  day,  in  this 
new  world,  a  "  great  awakening "  never  vivifies  the 
churches,  without  renewing  the  ancient  fervor  in  the 
service  of  song,  and  extending  the  range  of  hymnolog- 
ical  literature,  because  of  a  new  experience  of  evangel- 
ical life,  which  can  express  itself  in  no  other  way. 

We  illustrate  thus,  at  length,  the  sympathy  of  hymn- 
ology with  the  vital  condition  of  the  church,  because  its 
recognition  is  elemental  to  the  true  theory  of  a  manual 
of  psalmody  for  the  sanctuary.  We  turn,  now,  to  the 
consideration  of  certain  features  of  such  a  manual, 
which,  if  it  be  true  to  its  aim,  are  necessitated  by  the 
principle  we  have  observed.  We  employ  the  "  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book  "  as  illustrative  of  the  views  we  propound. 

§  5.  Scriptural  Foundation  of  Hymnology, 

In  the  first  place,  the  alliance  of  hymnology  with  the 
real  life  of  the  church,  suggests  the  preeminence  which 
must  be  given,  in  the  truthful  construction  of  a  hymn 
book,  to  the  choicest  lyrical  versions  of  passages  from 
the  Scriptures.  Divine  Wisdom  has  made  the  Bible  a 
compilation  of  human  experiences.  This  feature  of  its 
construction  is  signally  exhibited,  in  the  proportion  in 
which  inspiration  has  adopted  into  its  own  service  the 
devotional  workings  of  the  hearts  of  the  writers,  and 
of  others  whose  experiences  they  record.  Thus,  truth 
is  revealed  not  only  through  the  medium  of  inspired 
histories  and  biographies,  but  of  inspired  autobiogra- 


22  THE   BOOK   OF  PSALMS. 

phies.  The  profoundest  personal  life  of  hearts  swayed 
by  divine  grace,  is  expressed  in  the  thoughts  and  lan- 
guage of  minds  inspired  with  divine  truth,  and  speak- 
ing only  as  they  are  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
inspired  poems  must  therefore  be  the  model  of  every 
good  collection  of  devotional  poetry;  still  more,  of 
every  such  collection  designed  for  the  service  of  praise 
in  the  sanctuary.  No  other  development  of  the  life  of 
the  church  has  been  so  expressive  of  the  depths  of  re- 
generate experience.  No  other  is  so  affluent  in  sug- 
gestion of  experiences  which  it  does  not  express.  No 
other  penetrates  so  profoundly  the  individual  soul,  and 
yet  no  other  is  so  comprehensive  of  multiform  piety. 
No  other  could  have  illustrated  so  aptly  the  discipline 
of  its  own  age ;  yet  no  other,  as  a  whole,  is  so  faithful 
a  mirror  to  the  spiritual  consciousness  of  this  age  ;  and 
no  other  is  pervaded  by  such  truthfulness  of  proportion 
as  to  render  it,  like  this,  an  epitome  of  regenerate  life 
in  every  age.  And  no  other  has  been  authoritatively 
uttered  and  recorded.  The  church  can  never  outlive  it 
—  it  is  for  all  time.  Hymnology  has  thus  a  foundation 
and  a  model  such  as  no  other  treasures  of  song,  in  any 
literature,  can  claim. 

We  affirm  but  truisms  in  speaking  thus  of  the  devo- 
tional poems  of  the  Bible,  and  especially  of  the  Book 
of  Psalms.  We  can  scarcely  exaggerate  the  worth  of 
these,  as  the  church  of  Christ  hsis  felt  it  in  every  period 
of  genuineness  in  her  history,  and  has  expressed  it,  say- 
ing with  Augustine,  "  they  are  a  kind  of  epitome  of  the 
whole  Scripture ; "  and  with  Luther,  "  they  are  a  min- 
iature Bible  ;  "  and  with  Calvin,  "  they  are  an  anatomy 
of  all  the  parts  of  the  soul,  since  there  is  no  emotion  of 
which  one  can  be  conscious,  that  is  not  imaged  here 


PSALMODY   AND   HYMNOLOGY.  23 

as  in  a  glass  ; "  and  with  Hooker,  "  they  are  the  choice 
and  flower  of  all  things  profitable  in  other  books ;  "  and 
with  Watts,  "  they  are  the  most  artful,  most  devotional 
and  divine  collection  of  poesy,  and  nothing  can  be  sup- 
posed more  proper  to  raise  a  pious  soul  to  heaven ; " 
and  with  a  living  divine,  "  they  are  the  thousand- voiced 
heart  of  the  church." 

Yet,  an  intelligent  attachment  to  the  devotional 
poems  of  the  Scriptures,  will  discriminate  in  its  use  of 
them.  Especially  should  we  weigh  well  the  relations 
of  the  Hebrew  psalmody  to  hymnology  in  its  restricted 
sense.  We  think  it  the  most  brilliant  service  of  Dr. 
Watts,  that  he  established  the  authority  of  a  hymn^  in 
the  hearts  of  the  churches,  so  as  fairly  to  earn  the  title 
which  Montgomery  gives  him,  of  "  almost  the  inventor 
of  hymns  in  our  language."  A  vast  advance  was  made 
in  spirituality  of  attachment  to  the  Scriptures,  when 
the  theory  of  Watts  respecting  the  proper  use  of  in- 
spired poems  in  modern  worship,  obtained  a  lodgement 
in  the  Enghsh  churches.  Before  that  time,  hymnology 
as  distinct  from  psalmody,  can  scarcely  be  said  to 
have  existed  in  English  literature  ;  and  psalmody  itself 
changed  its  character  in  the  hands  of  Watts,  so  that 
the  etymological  distinction  was  well  nigh  obliterated. 
The  "  frenzy  of  sacred  song,"  which  Warton  lamented 
as  an  importation  of  fanaticism  from  Geneva,  was  con- 
fined, in  England,  almost  wholly  to  translations  of  the 
Psalms  and  other  portions  of  the  Scriptures.  The  more 
literal  the  version,  if  it  preserved  the  metrical  structure 
requisite  for  the  mechanism  of  song,  the  more  faithful 
it  seemed,  in  the  judgment  of  the  time,  to  the  inspired 
model  of  worship.  No  such  latitude  of  usage  had  been 
tolerated  in  England,  as  that  which  had  flooded  Ger- 


24  watts' S  THEORY  OF  PSALMODY. 

many  and  Switzerland  with  uninspired  hymns.  The 
religious  temper  of  the  times  would  have  metrical  ver- 
sions of  the  Psalms,  and  nothing  else.  A  relic  of  this 
feeling  still  exists  in  the  well-known  pertinacity  of  the 
Scottish  churches,  in  resisting  all  inroads  of  hymnology 
upon  their  ancient  psalmody. 

Watts,  as  is  well  known,  stoutly  contended  for  the 
larger  liberty.  That  was  an  innovation,  the  boldness 
of  which  it  is  difficult  to  appreciate  now,  in  which 
Watts  projected  the  publication  of  "  The  Psalms  of 
David,"  not  metrically  translated,  but  "  imitated  in  the 
language  of  the  New  Testament,  and  adapted  to  the 
Christian  state  and  worship  ;  "  and  bolder  still  was  the 
previous  publication  of  "  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs," 
avowedly  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  necessities  of 
modern  worship,  which  the  letter  of  the  Hebrew  psalm- 
ody could  not  satisfy.  He  lamented  that  his  predeces- 
sors "  in  the  composure  of  song,"  had  so  generally  im- 
prisoned the  spirit  of  Christian  worship,  in  what  he 
regarded  as  a  superstitious  reverence  for  the  letter  of 
the  Jewish  Scriptures.  "  Though  there  are  many  gone 
before  me,"  he  writes,  "who  have  taught  the  Hebrew 
Psalmist  to  speak  English,  yet  I  think  I  may  assume 
this  pleasure,  of  being  the  first  who  hath  brought  down 
the  royal  author  into  the  common  affairs  of  the  Chris- 
tian life,  and  led  the  Psalmist  of  Israel  into  the  church 
of  Christ,  without  an3rthing  of  a  Jew  about  him."  His 
"  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,"  too,  were  composed 
because  he  could  not  understand  why  "  we,  under  the 
gospel,"  should  "  sing  nothing  else  but  the  joys,  hopes, 
and  fears  of  Asaph  and  David."  He  believed  that "  Da- 
vid would  have  thought  it  very  hard  to  have  been  con- 
fined to  the  words  of  Moses,  and  sung  nothing  else,  on 


THE  PSALMS  NOT  A  FORMULARY.  25 

all  his  rejoicing-days,  but  the  drowning  of  Pharaoh,  in 
the  fifteenth  of  Exodus."  The  third  book  of  his  hymns 
was  the  fruit  of  his  pain  in  having  often  observed,  "  to 
what  a  hard  shift  the  minister  is  put  to  find  proper 
hymns  at  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  supper,  where 
the  people  will  sing  nothing  but  out  of  David's  psalm- 
book;"  and  because  he  believed  that  even  in  those 
"  places  where  the  Jewish  psalmist  seems  to  mean  the 
gospel,  excellent  poet  as  he  was,  he  was  not  able  to 
speak  it  plain,  by  reason  of  the  infancy  of  that  dispen- 
sation, and  longs  for  the  aid  of  a  Christian  writer." 

We  should  be  slow  to  subscribe  to  all  the  applica- 
tions which  Watts  made  of  his  theory,  in  the  zeal  of 
his  honest  heart,  against  its  opposite.  But  the  princi- 
ple which  lay  at  the  bottom  of  his  innovation  was,  be- 
yond all  question,  true  and  vital  to  the  spirituality  of 
Christian  praise.  We  state  it  at  length,  in  the  uncom- 
promising language  of  its  author,  because  it  has  a 
broader  application  than  even  he  attempted  to  give  to 
it.  The  principle,  reduced  to  its  simplest  form,  is  that 
the  Scriptural  Psalmody  is  not  designed  as  a  restrictive 
formulary  of  the  worship  of  God  in  song.  Not  even 
the  Psalms  of  David  have  any  such  office  in  the  plan 
of  inspiration.  Watts  applied  the  principle,  and  in  the 
general  we  think  justly,  to  a  discrimination  between 
the  Psalms  themselves.  They  are  not  all  equally  wor- 
thy of  use  in  public  Christian  worship.  We  have  no 
evidence  that  all  of  them  were  used  in  the  ancient  ser- 
vice of  either  the  temple  or  the  synagogue.  The  Psalter 
was  the  grand  collection  of  Hebrew  devotional  poems, 
not  the  hymn  book  of  the  Hebrew  sanctuaries.  Light- 
foot  has  collected  the  psalms  used  in  the  temple  service, 
adopting  as  the  basis  of  his  calculations,  the  Scriptural 


26  ANCIENT   USE   OF   THE   PSALMS. 

account  of  that  service,  and  the  Rabbinical  traditions. 
The  result  is  as  follows,  viz :  on  the  several  days  of  the 
week  were  sung,  or  rather  cantilated,  in  the  order  here 
specified,  Psalms  24, 48,  82,  94,  81,  93,  92.  On  certain 
special  festivals  were  used  the  single  Psalms  81,  29, 
105,  50,  94,  95,  80,  82.  In  addition  to  these  were  em- 
ployed the  lesser  and  greater  Hallel,  the  largest  estimate 
of  which  does  not  extend  them  beyond  Psalms  113- 
118,  and  105,  120-137  inclusive.  The  largest  number 
of  distinct  psalms,  of  the  actual  use  of  which,  in  the 
temple  service,  or  in  that  of  the  synagogue  before  the 
coming  of  Christ,  we  have  any  record  either  scriptural 
or  traditional,  is  less  than  forty.  The  introduction  of 
the  entire  Book  of  Psalms  as  a  book  of  song,  into 
public  worship  of  the  Christian  church,  occurred  at  an 
uncertain  period  after  the  time  of  the  apostles.  The 
legitimate  inference  from  these  facts  is,  that  the  use  of 
metrical  versions  of  the  Psalms  in  modern  public  wor- 
ship, must  depend  upon  the  intrinsic  fitness  of  them, 
severally,  to  such  a  use,  and  not  upon  any  supposed 
prerogative  appertaining  to  them  in  the  mass,  as  an  in- 
spired formulary  of  worship  in  all  times.  We  have  no 
authoritative  example  in  which  any  such  prerogative  is 
recognized.  Watts,  and  other  psalmists  who  succeeded 
him,  were  right  therefore  in  omitting  portions  of  cer- 
tain psalms,  and  certain  other  psalms  entire,  because 
they  are  intrinsically  inexpressive  of  Christian  worship. 
In  vindication  of  this  liberty,  Watts  puts  the  case, 
very  forcibly,  to  the  experience  of  "  pious  and  observing 
Christians,"  who  have  been  accustomed  to  sing  the 
psalms  of  David  indiscriminately :  "  Have  not  your 
spirits  taken  wing,  and  mounted  up  near  to  God  and 
glory,  with  the  song  of  David  on  your  tongue  ?     But, 


THE   PSALMS   UNEQUAL.  27 

on  a  sudden,  the  clerk  has  proposed  the  next  line  to 
your  lips,  with  *  dark  sayings '  and  '  prophecies,'  with 

*  burnt  offerings '  or  '  hyssop,'  with  *  new  moons,'    and 

*  trumpets,'  and  '  timbrels '  in  it, ...  .  with  complaints 
....  such  as  you  never  felt,  cursing  such  enemies  as 
you  never  had,  giving  thanks  for  such  victories  as  you 
never  obtained,  or  leading  you  to  speak,  in  your  own 
persons,  of  the  things,  places,  and  actions  that  you 
never  knew.  And  how  have  all  your  souls  been  dis- 
composed at  once,  and  the  strings  of  harmony  all  un- 
tuned ! "  Strict  versions  of  all  parts  of  all  the  Hebrew 
psalms  cannot  properly  be  employed  in  modern  wor- 
ship. The  introduction  of  them  must  often  depend  on 
the  freedom  of  departure  from  the  original  thought^  as 
well  as  the  original  expression.  Such  departure  may 
be  so  great  that  the  poem  ceases  to  be  a  psalm  ;  it  is 
only  an  uninspired  hymn.  In  other  cases,  the  admis- 
sion of  a  strict  version  of  a  psalm,  into  a  modern  man- 
ual of  song,  must  depend  upon  the  lyrical  quality  of 
that  version.  We  may  not  acquiesce  in  the  severe 
judgment  of  the  poet  Mason,  that  "  a  literal  [metrical] 
version  of  the  Psalms  may  boldly  be  asserted  to  be  im- 
practicable ; "  but  does  not  a  meditative  and  didactic 
poem,  like  the  first  Psalm,  require  for  use  in  English 
metre,  a  more  mellifluous  version,  than  a  precative 
psalm,  like  the  fifty-first  ?  The  poetry  of  form  is  more 
indispensable  in  the  one  case  than  in  the  other,  to 
breathe  into  a  translation  the  vivacity  of  song.  He  is 
a  rare  poet  who  can  compose  a  spirited  English  hymn 
on  the  basis  of  the  first  Psalm.  He  is  no  poet  who  can 
compose  any  other,  on  the  basis  of  the  fifty-first. 


28  IDENTITY    OP  PSALMS   AND   HYMNS. 


§  6.   Identity  of  Psalms  and  Hymns. 

It  is  a  further  inference  from  the  principle  of  liberty 
in  the  use  of  inspired  psalmody,  for  which  the  Chris- 
tian world  is  indebted  to  Isaac  Watts,  though  it  is  an 
application  of  his  principle  which  does  not  seem  to 
have  occurred  to  him,  that  in  the  arrangement  of  a 
manual  of  hymnolo^y ^  psalms  and  hymns  need  not  be 
distinguished  from  each  other.  Aside  from  the  obvi- 
ous inconveniences  of  the  distinction,  it  is  not  true  to 
the  facts  of  hymnology  as  now  existing  in  the  usage 
of  the  churches.  The  English  lyrical  poems  which  we 
call  psalms  and  hymns,  have  no  such  uniform  difference 
of  character,  as  this  distinction  in  title  implies.  The 
principle  of  "  imitation,"  rather  than  of  translation, 
which  all  our  modern  psalm  books,  except  that  of  the 
Scottish  churches,  have  inherited  from  Dr.  Watts,  vir- 
tually destroys  the  truthfulness  of  the  distinction,  by 
destroying  its  uniformity.  On  the  contrary,  certain 
so-called  "  Hymns "  are  more  genuine  versions  of  cer- 
tain of  the  Psalms  of  David,  than  other  so-called 
"  Psalms,"  of  the  inspired  lyrics  which  they  profess  to 
"  imitate."  The  seventy-ninth  Hymn  of  the  first  book 
of  "  Watts's  Hymns  "  ("  God  of  the  morning,  at  whose 
voice,"  etc.),  is  a  more  accurate  expression  of  certain 
verses  of  the  Psalmist,  than  any  version  we  have  seen 
in  modern  use,  of  the  fifty-ninth  Psalm  of  David.  The 
one  hundred  and  thirty-sixth  Hymn  of  Watts,  Book  I. 
("  God  is  a  spirit,  just  and  wise,"  etc.)  approximates 
more  nearly  to  a  version  of  the  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
ninth  of  the  Hebrew  Psalms,  than  Watts's  own  version 
of  the  seventy-fifth  Psalm  approaches  its  original.    Why 


HOSTILITY   TO   UNINSPIRED  HYMNS.  29 

should  we  distinguish  as  a  "  Psalm  of  David,"  a  poem 
which,  as  is  the  case  with  the  seventy-fifth  Psalm, 
Watts  applies  to  "  the  glorious  Revolution  by  King 
William,  or  the  happy  accession  of  King  George  to  the 
throne  ; "  and  which  Barlow,  whose  version  is  still  used 
in  some  American  churches,  applies  to  "  the  American 
Revolution  ?  " 

The  history  of  this  distinction  between  psalms  and 
hymns  is  most  instructive.  Its  origin  was  very  natural, 
almost  inevitable.  It  grew  out  of  a  hostility  to  the  use 
of  anything'  in  sacred  song,  but  the  language  of  the 
Scriptures.  An  indiscriminate  reverence  for  the  letter 
of  the  Bible,  exhibited  itself  in  a  most  determined  op- 
position to  the  introduction  of  uninspired  hymns,  in 
the  very  earliest  period  of  Christian  hymnology.  "  Orig- 
inal hymns,"  as  they  were  termed,  were  deemed,  by 
many  of  the  early  Christians,  a  perilous  innovation. 
The  conflict  for  their  exclusion,  associated  them  with 
the  introduction,  also,  of  heathen  tunes.  We  find  very 
early  evidence  of  a  distinction,  in  the  usages  of  wor- 
ship, between  the  singing  of  hymns  and  the  chanting 
of  psalms.  The  admissibility  of  hymns,  into  the  lit- 
urgy of  the  church,  was  contested  for  several  centuries. 
The  first  Council  of  Braga,  held  A.  D.  561,  forbade 
the  use,  in  public  worship,  of  any  poetical  compositions 
but  the  Scriptures  ;  and  this  decree  remained  in  force 
for  three  quarters  of  a  century,  tiU  it  was  revoked  by 
the  fourth  Council  of  Toledo.  The  dispute  seems 
finally  to  have  died  away,  partly  through  the  triumph 
of  some  of  the  noble  hymns  of  the  ancient  church,  and 
partly  through  the  gradual  exclusion  of  the  people  from 
the  public  service  of  praise.  But  it  was  vigorously  re- 
vived, with  the  revival  of  popular  "  psalm  singing," 
3* 


30  HOSTILITY   TO   UNIITSPIRED   HYMNS 

which  we  have  sketched.  The  musical  German  ear 
did  not  long  tolerate  the  controversy.  Hymnology,  as 
the  correlative  of  psalmody,  was  overwhelmingly  trium- 
phant. It  was  not  so  in  England,  till  the  appearance 
of  Dr.  Watts ;  and  to  this  day  is  not  so,  north  of  the 
Tweed.  "  Psalm  singing  "  and  "  hymn  singing  "  were, 
to  the  English  and  Scottish  conscience,  very  different 
things.  It  was  objected  to  George  Wither,  when  he 
published  his  "  Hymnes  and  Songs  of  the  Church," 
that  he  had  "  indecently  obtruded  upon  the  divine  call- 
ing ; "  to  which  he  gave,  in  reply,  the  substance  of  the 
whole  argument,  when  he  said  :  "  I  wonder  what  '  di- 
vine calling '  Hopkins  and  Sternhold  had,  more  than  I 
have,  that  their  metricall  Psalmes  may  be  allowed  of, 
rather  than  my  hymnes." 

The  great  achievement  of  Dr.  Watts,  was  that  of 
establishing  the  right  of  a  hymn  to  be,  at  all,  in  the 
public  worship  of  God.  What,  then,  could  have  been 
more  natural,  and  for  the  times  more  expedient,  than 
this  distinction  between  "Psalms"  and  "  Hymns"  ?  By 
this  distinction  the  Psalms,  of  which  that  age  had  no 
conception  as  being  any  other  than  paraphrases  of  the 
inspired  original,  seemed  to  receive  superior  honor;  the 
hymns  being  tolerated  in  supplementary  collections. 
Watts  himself  published  his  volume  of  "  Imitations  of 
David's  Psalms,"  piously  hoping  not  only  that  "  David 
[would  be]  converted  into  a  Christian,"  but  that  the 
Psalms,  thus  christianized,  would  escape  some  of  the 
objections  to  "  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs."  Yet  the 
principle  for  which  Watts  contended  in  his  "imita- 
tion "  of  the  Psalms,  virtually  abrogated  the  distinc- 
tion, by  destroying  its  uniformity,  and  in  many  cases 
its  reality.      The  practice  of  modern  churches,  under 


31 


the  wing  of  Watts's  muse,  has  reduced  the  distinction 
to  a  shadow.  Why  then  retain  it?  We  think  it  an 
advance  in  spirituality  of  reverence  for  the  Scriptures 
to  abandon  it.  It  is  virtually  conceded,  by  the  sanction 
the  church  has  given  to  the  innovation  of  Watts  upon 
the  ancient  psalmody. 

§  7.   Hymns  founded  on  other  portions  of  the  Scriptures 
than  the  Book  of  Psalms. 

Again,  it  follows  from  the  views  we  have  advanced 
of  the  relation  of  hymnology  to  the  Scriptures,  that  a 
Hymn  Book  should  comprise  the  choicest  metrical  par- 
aphrases aiul  "imitations"  of  other  portions  of  the 
Bible^  than  the  hook  of  Psalms.  The  versification  in 
English,  of  other  than  the  lyrical  compositions  of  the 
Scriptures,  was  a  favorite  project  with  many  of  the 
early  Psalmists  of  Great  Britain.  It  was  often  at- 
tempted with  no  regard  to  the  fitness  of  the  materials 
to  poetic  form,  or  to  the  service  of  song.  Not  only  the 
historical  but  the  statistical  portions  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment were  brought  into  subjection  to  lyric  rhymes. 
One  of  the  varieties  in  which  the  popular  reverence 
for  the  letter  of  the  Scriptures  developed  itself,  was  the 
favorable  reception  which  many  gave  to  the  first  four- 
teen chapters  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  when,  as 
Milton  described  some  of  his  own  versifications  of  the 
Psalms,  they  were  completely  "  done  into  metre,"  and 
were  sung  in  the  royal  chapel  of  Edward  the  Sixth. 
They  were  commended  to  other  pious  uses  also  by  the 
title  of  "  The  Actes  of  the  Apostles,  translated  into 
Englyshe  metre,  and  dedicated  to  the  Kynges  moste  ex- 
cellent maiestye,  by  Christofer  Tye,  doctor  in  musyke, 


32 


and  one  of  the  Gentylmen  of  hys  graces  moste  hon- 
ourable Chappell,  with  notes  to  eche  chapter  to  synge 
and  also  to  play  upon  the  Lute,  very  necessarye  for 
studentes  after  theyr  studye  to  fyle  theyr  wyttes^  and 
alsoe  for  all  Christians  that  cannot  synge,  to  read  the 
good  and  godlye  storyes  of  the  lives  of  Christ  hys 
apostles."  The  Books  of  Kings  and  Genesis  were  in 
like  manner  reduced  to  metre.  There  is  still  extant 
in  the  Bodleian  Library,  "  The  summe  o"f  every  chap- 
ter of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  set  down  Alpha- 
betically in  English  Verse,  ....  By  Simon  Wastell, 
....  Schoole-master  of  the  Free  Schoole  in  North- 
ampton, 1623."  We  cannot  but  be  amused  at  the  im- 
agination of  the  scene,  in  which  a  grave  assembly  must 
have  sounded  their  way  resolutely  through  the  thirty- 
sixth  chapter  of  Genesis  —  "  Now  these  are  the  genera- 
tions of  Esau,"  etc.,  or  through  the  fourth  chapter  of 
the  first  Book  of  Kings,  "  So  king  Solomon  was  king 
over  all  Israel ;  and  these  were  the  princes  that  he  had ; 
Azariah  the  son  of  Zadok,  etc. ;  "  —  the  worshippers 
grimly  resolute,  the  while,  against  the  profanation  of 
praising  God  by  the  singing  of  such  "  unauthorized" 
lyrics,  as  "  Welcome,  sweet  day  of  rest  "  —  "  There  is  a 
land  of  pure  delight,"  —  "  Great  God  I  how  infinite  art 
Thou!"  —  "My  dear  Redeemer  and  my  Lord."  The 
inveteracy  of  this  taste  for  the  rhyming  of  prosaic  por- 
tions of  the  Scriptures,  is  seen  in  the  remains  of  it 
existing  even  in  the  Olney  Hymns,  some  of  which  bear 
titles  like  the  following,  viz :  "  Manna  hoarded,"  "  The 
Golden  Calf,"  "  Samson's  Lion,"  "  The  milch  kine 
bearing  the  Ark,"  "  The  borrowed  axe." 

But  Dr.  Watts  was  not  deterred  by  the  "  mob  of  re- 
ligious rhymers,"   from   appreciating  the   richness   of 


FIRST   BOOK    OF   WATTS'S   HYMNS.  33 

many  portions  of  the  Bible,  abounding  with  the  mate- 
rials of  lyric  conception,  though  not  inspired  in  lyric 
form.  On  select  groups  of  inspired  thoughts,  He  founded 
some  of  the  choicest  gems  of  song  in  the  language. 
What  would  our  modern  hymnology  have  been,  with- 
out the  first  Book  of  Watts's  hymns !  We  might  better 
retain  all  its  excrescences,  including  its  songs  from  the 
Canticles,  than  to  part  with  some  of  its  unequalled 
strains.  Turning  to  the  selection  from  this  source  in 
the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  our  eye  falls  upon  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  Come,  dearest  Lord,  descend  and  dwell." 
"  Behold  the  glories  of  the  Lamb." 
"  Come  let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs." 
"  What  equal  honors  shall  we  bring." 
"  Come  hither,  all  ye  weary  souls." 
"  No  more,  my  God,  I  boast  no  more." 
"  Oh  for  an  overcoming  faith." 
"  I  'm  not  ashamed  to  own  my  Lord." 
"  Let  me  but  hear  my  Saviour  say." 
"  Behold  what  wondrous  grace." 
"  Lo  what  a  glorious  sight  appears,"  — 

and  upon  a  multitude  of  others,  which  are  either  para- 
phrases or  imitations  of  choice  paragraphs  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, not  in  the  book  of  Psalms ;  and  which  must  live, 
surely,  while  the  language  lives.  They  suggest  the  in- 
exhaustible Scripturalresources,  from  which  hymnology 
may  yet  gain  expansion  of  range  through  the  labors  of 
future  lovers  of  holy  song.  It  is  in  this  direction  that 
we  specially  desire  to  see  our  psalmody  improved. 
We  believe  that  untold  affluence  of  lyric  thought  yet 
lies  in  the  word  of  God,  unuttered  in  lyric  verse.  Vol- 
umes of  Scriptural  hymns  are  yet  unwritten.     Para-^ 


34  SCRIPTURAL   SONGS. 

phrases,  liberal  versions,  imitations,  motto-hymns,  re- 
plete with  Scriptural  thought,  radiant  with  Scriptural 
imagery,  and  fragrant  with  Scriptural  devotion,  are  yet 
to  augment  the  opulence  of  our  hymnological  litera- 
ture. Every  new  metrical  paraphrase  of  such  a  pass- 
age, for  example,  as  the  fifty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah,  if 
it  be  worthy  of  its  original,  we  welcome,  as  an  addition 
to  the  Songs  of  Zion.  Such  a  hymn  must  express  with 
some  new  fidelity,  the  experience  of  Christian  hearts. 
Christians  will  love  it;  they  will  sing  it.  It  will 
become  a  joy  to  them  in  the  house  of  their  pilgrimage ; 
it  will  linger  upon  their  lips  in  their  last  hours. 

The  "  Sabbath  Hymn  Book "  is  enriched  by  some 
such  new  treasures  of  Scriptural  song.  The  first  Hymn 
in  the  volume,  is  a  new  version  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
in  which  the  very  severity  of  its  faithfulness  to  the  orig- 
inal may  conceal  its  poetic  merits,  till  we  reflect  or 
rather  feel^  that  fidelity  to  the  original  is  the  poetry  of 
such  a  prayer.  Hymn  245,  is  a  paraphrase  of  the  dox- 
ology  to  the  Saviour  with  which  the  visions  of  the 
Apocalypse  open.  Hymns  313,  and  321,  are  simple 
and  touching  versions  of  a  portion  of  the  fifty-third 
chapter  of  Isaiah.  Hymn  339,  is  founded  upon  the 
"  New  Song,"  in  which  the  four  and  twenty  Elders 
worshipped  the  Lamb  in  the  midst  of  the  throne. 
Hymn  689,  we  think,  is  a  beautiful  expression  of 
communion  with  Him,  whom  "  having  not  seen,  ye 
love."  Hymn  779,  is  a  versification,  which  some  strug- 
gling disciples  will  welcome,  of  the  prayer  of  Thomas. 
Hymn  868,  is  a  faithful  version  of  one  of  the  most 
compact  representations  of  the  dignity  of  the  Saints, 
found  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  Hymns  1273 
and  1275,  are  paraphrases  of  two  very  dissimilar  pas- 


SCRIPTURAL   SONGS.  35 

sages  suggesting  the  Resurrection.  The  one  is  the 
representative  of  the  old  dispensation  ;  the  other,  that 
of  the  new.  We  do  not  know  where  to  find  hymns 
superior  to  them,  on  that  doctrine.  They  illustrate  so 
aptly  the  truthfulness  of  our  faith  that  neiv  paraphrases 
and  imitations  of  the  Scriptures  may  be  expected  to 
increase  the  wealth  of  our  hymnological  literature,  that 
we  refrain  from  naming  others  which  deserve  attention 
in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  in  order  that  we  may  quote 
these  entire.  The  first  (Hymn  1273),  is  an  imitation 
in  Christian  song^  and  as  many  interpreters  would 
regard  it,  a  paraphrase,  of  the  literal  meaning  of  Job 
19 :  25,  2Q>^  "  For  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  etc." 

My  faith  shall  triumph  o'er  the  grave, 

And  trample  on  the  tomb ; 
I  know  that  my  Redeemer  lives, 

And  on  the  clouds  shall  come. 

I  know  that  he  shall  soon  appear 

In  power  and  glory  meet ; 
And  death,  the  last  of  all  his  foes, 

Lie  vanquished  at  his  feet. 

Then,  though  the  grave  my  flesh  devour, 

And  hold  me  for  its  prey, 
I  know  my  sleeping  dust  shall  rise 

On  the  last  judgment-day. 

I,  in  my  flesh,  shall ^ee  my  God, 

When  he  on  earth  shall  stand  ; 
I  shall  with  all  his  saints  ascend. 

To  dwell  at  his  right  hand. 

Then  shall  he  wipe  all  tears  away, 

And  hush  the  rising  groan  ; 
And  pains  and  sighs  and  griefs  and  fears 

Shall  ever  be  unknQwn. 


36  SCKIPTURAL   SONGS. 

The  other  (Hymn  1275)  is  a  paraphrase  of  1  Thes. 
4 :  14  — 17,  in  which  the  apostle  announces,  in  its 
fulness,  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the  Resurrection  of 
Saints. 

As  Jesus  died  and. rose  again, 

Victorious,  from  the  dead ; 
So  his  disciples  rise,  and  reign 

With  their  triumphant  Head. 

The  time  draws  nigh,  when,  from  the  clouds, 

Christ  shall  with  shouts  descend ; 
And  the  last  trumpet's  awful  voice 

The  heavens  and  earth  shall  rend. 

Then  they  who  live  shall  changed  be, 

And  they  who  sleep  shall  wake  ; 
The  graves  shall  yield  their  ancient  charge, 

And  earth's  foundation  shake. 

The  saints  of  God,  from  death  set  free, 

With  joy  shall  mount  on  high  ; 
The  heavenly  host,  with  praises  loud, 

Shall  meet  them  in  the  sky. 

Together  to  their  Father's  house 

With  joyful  hearts  they  go ; 
And  dwell  forever  with  the  Lord, 

Beyond  the  reach  of  woe. 

Such  hymns,  though  they  do  not  rise  to  the  rank  of 
the  highest  style  of  psalms  of  worship.^  appear  to  us  to 
be  among  the  noblest  of  meditative  and  didactic  hymns. 
Are  they  not  worthy  to  receive  the  apostolic  commen- 
dation appended  to  the  text  on  which  one  of  them  is 
founded :  "  Wherefore,  comfort  one  another  with  these 
words?" 

Some  approximation  to  an  estimate  of  the  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book  as  a  collection  of  Biblical  Song,  may  be 


ANCIENT   HYMNS.  37 

obtained  from  the  fact,  that  more  than  five  hundred  and 
fifty  of  its  pieces  are  composed  of  either  the  literal  text, 
or  of  paraphrases  and  imitations  of  the  Scriptures  ;  and 
that  nearly  the  whole  number  of  its  Hymns  are  referred 
in  its  Scriptural  Index,  by  no  fanciful  resemblance,  to 
inspired  passages ;  and  that  nearly  two  thousand  such 
passages  are  thus  illustrated  in  the  volume,  each  being, 
in  many  cases,  the  centre  of  a  cynosure  of  hymns 
which  radiate  the  glow  it  has  imparted  to  them.  This 
is  as  it  should  be.  The  most  hearty  hymnology  of  any 
age,  that  to  which  the  most  genuine  religious  life  will 
always  respond  feelingly,  and  which  in  return  will  be 
most  tonic  to  any  living  experience  in  the  church,  must 
be  that  which  is  most  intensely  pervaded  with  Biblical 
thought.  This  should  be  exhaled  from  it  everywhere, 
with  richer  than  "  Sabean  odor."  It  should  be  like  the 
mist  of  Eden,  which  went  up  from  the  earth,  and 
watered  the  whole  face  of  the  ground. 

§  8.  Ancient  Hymnology, 

The  sympathy  of  hymnology  with  the  religious  life, 
suggests  further,  the  value  of  those  uninspired  hymns 
ivhich  time  has  proved  to  be  truthful  to  the  general 
experience  of  Christians,  These  may  be  emphatically 
entitled  the  Hymns  of  the  Church ;  for,  they  are  the 
production  of  the  church,  as  distinct  from  the  temple 
and  the  synagogue.  As  the  Hebrew  faith  created  the 
inspired  psalmody,  so  Christianity  as  we  have  seen, 
very  early  began  to  create  its  own  hymnology,  and  has 
refreshed  itself  by  outbursts  of  lyric  devotion,  all  the 
way  down  the  ages  of  its  pilgrimage.  Many  of  these 
effusions  from  the  heart  of  one  age  and  country,  have 

4 


38  ANCIENT   HYMNS. 

stood  the  test  of  time,  and  of  migration  to  other  lands. 
Different  nationalities  and  different  generations  of  Chris- 
tendom have  given  their  suffrage  to  the  same  strains. 
Some  of  them  are  from  the  very  earliest  periods  of  the 
chm'ch,  and  were  first  sung  by  voices  which  were  almost 
the  echo  from  apostolic  lips.  The  earliest  Greek  poem 
on  a  sacred  theme,  from  any  writer  whose  name  and 
writings  have  survived  to  this  day,  is  a  song  of  praise 
to  "  Christ  the  Redeemer."  Others  are  hymns  of  the 
Reformation,  on  which  the  venerableness  of  age  is  fast 
gathering,  and  which  are  still  sung  affectionately  by 
devout  Christians  in  Europe,  after  the  lapse  of  three 
centuries.  Some  are  "  voices  of  the  night,"  from  the 
Middle  Ages,  breathing  a  spirit  like  that  of  the  old 
prophecies,  anticipative  of  the  time  of  the  end.  Rea- 
soning a  priori^  one  might  say  '  there  surely  must  be 
some  gems  which  the  church  of  every  age  will  delight 
in,  in  this  treasury  of  old  songs.' 

Yet  English  Hymnology  has  not  drawn  very  largely 
upon  the  resources  of  other  lands  and  tongues.  Cran- 
mer  expressed  faintly  the  hope,  that  some  future  Eng- 
lish poet  would  translate  for  his  countrymen  the  hymns 
of  the  first  Christian  centuries.  A  very  few,  as  we  have 
seen,  remained  in  liturgic  form,  in  the  English  church. 
The  Wesleys  translated  nearly  thirty  hymns  from  the 
German  language,  and  some  of  these  are  among  the 
most  spirited  that  now  bear  their  names.  But,  aside 
from  this,  the  Ancient  Hymns  have  but  a  meagre  rep- 
resentation in  the  manuals  of  psalmody  now  used  in 
the  churches  of  Great  Britain  and  America.  Compar- 
atively little  of  our  hymnology,  as  actually  used  in  the 
public  service  of  the  sanctuary,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Psalms  by  Tate  and  Brady,  date  back  beyond  the 


CONFLICTS    OF   OPINION.  39 

time  of  Watts  and  Doddridge.  The  bulk  of  sacred 
song  in  our  language,  is  by  at  least  two  centuries,  less 
ancient  than  that  of  Germany.  Two  causes  have 
especially  contributed  to  this  result.  One  is  the  ten- 
dency of  the  English  mind  to  insular  tastes  in  literature 
and  theology.  The  other  is  the  peculiar  intensity  of 
the  spirit  of  reform  in  Great  Britain,  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  The  religious  spirit  of  the  nation  sprang  with 
a  rebound  from  the  papal  church,  when  once  the  bonds 
were  loosened.  A  positive  hostility  was  felt,  not  only 
as  we  have  seen,  to  "  uninspired  hymns  "  in  the  gen- 
eral, but  to  the  ancient  hymns  of  the  church  in  par- 
ticular, because  many  of  them  had  become  identified 
with  the  Roman  missal.  The  fire  which  inflamed  the 
iconoclasm  of  the  Scottish  Reformers,  burned  out  the 
leaves  of  the  ancient  hymnology  from  their  liturgy.  It 
was  by  dint  of  royal  authority  that  the  "  Gloria  in 
Excelsis  "  and  the  "  Te  Deum  Laudamus,"  remained 
in  the  English  church.  The  metrical  version  of  the 
Psalms  by  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  met  with  stout  re- 
sistance, from  one  party,  because  it  would  expurgate 
the  church  of  many  of  the  old  liturgic  hymns. 

The  same  conflict  over  the  ancient  Breviary  was 
waged  on  the  Continent,  but  with  this  difference,  that 
an  original  hymnological  literature  was  speedily  cre- 
ated there ;  and  this  was  founded  to  some  extent  upon 
the  old  hymns  of  the  church.  Even  before  the  Refor- 
mation, the  germs  of  such  a  literature  existed  in  the 
hymns  of  the  Albigenses  and  the  Bohemian  Brethren, 
whose  melodies  originated  ia  the  chants  to  which  the 
Latin  hymns  of  the  West  were  sung.  The  current 
of  Continental  Protestantism  was  early  and  strongly  set 
in  the  channel  of  an  original  hymnology,  and  that  too 


40  INSULATION   OF   BRITISH   PSALMODY. 

a  hymnology  which  made  the  Breviary  and  other  col- 
lections of  ancient  song  pay  tribute  to  its  own  inspira- 
tion, long  before  English  hymnology  as  distinct  from 
psalmody  was  in  existence  ;  and  when  the  religious 
mind  of  England  and  Scotland  was  agitated  with  the 
question  whether  psalmody  had  any  right  thus  to  ex- 
pand itself  beyond  the  books  of  Genesis  and  the  Rev- 
elation. Luther  felt  no  scruples  of  this  sort.  The 
singing  of  the  Hussite  Brethren  had  fixed  his  judgment 
of  the  value  of  original  hymns,  to  the  reformed  faith. 
He  not  only  set  about  the  composition  of  hymns  with 
his  own  pen,  but  urged  his  friends  to  do  the  same  ;  and 
engaged  the  services  of  poets  and  the  most  eminent 
musicians  of  the  time,  to  create  the  staple  of  Christian 
song.  He  would  also  take  a  good  hymn,  or  a  good  tune, 
wherever  he  found  it,  though  it  were  from  the  teeth  of 
the  Pope.  "  I  am  far  from  thinking,"  he  says,  "  that  the 
Gospel  is  to  strike  all  Art  to  the  Earth  ;  but  I  would 
have  all  Arts  ....  taken  into  that  service  for  which 
they  were  given."  He  accordingly  enriched  the  Ger- 
man psalmody  with  many  reprisals,  both  of  text  and 
tune,  from  the  Latin  hymnology.  He  versified  thus 
the  "  Te  Deum,"  "  Veni  Redemptor  gentium,"  "  Veni 
Creator  Spiritus,"  "  Media  Vita,"  "  O  lux  beata  Trin- 
itas,"  and  many  others,  some  of  which  are  still  used  in 
German  worship.  His  example  was  followed  by  many 
of  the  multitude  of  German  hymnologists  who  followed 
him  in  the  seventeenth  century ;  and  this  eclectic  spirit 
has  made  the  Christian  song  of  Germany  what  it  is. 

Good  reasons  may  have  existed  for  the  temporary 
insulation  of  the  psalmody  of  Great  Britain  within 
the  resources  of  her  native  poets.  It  is  seldom  that 
the  taste  of  a  nation  is  perverted,  all  things  considered. 


VALUE    OF   THE   ANCIENT   HYMNS.  41 

under  the  influence  of  a  quickening  of  religious  faith. 
That  faith  has  a  certain  regulative  force,  which  tends 
to  tranquillize  those  passions  that  lead  to  distortions  of 
character,  and  to  forbid  the  sacrifice  of  any  good,  un- 
less the  temporary  loss  be  necessary  to  protection  from 
a  greater.  We  are  not  disposed,  therefore,  to  mourn 
over  the  obduracy  of  our  fathers  in  clinging  to  their 
own  national  literature,  and  seeking  its  growth  from 
within  itself,  rather  than  by  foreign  accretions.  We 
are  inclined  to  regard  it  as  one  of  the  many  phenomena 
which  indicate  a  design  of  Providence  in  the  tendency 
to  seclusion  existing  in  British  character,  of  which  the 
insular  geography  of  Great  Britain  is  an  emblem  and 
a  cause. 

But  such  reasons  for  segregation,  in  respect  of  relig- 
ious sympathy,  must  be  temporary.  Now  that  time 
has  disciplined  the  mind  of  the  Anglo  Saxon  churches, 
not  to  the  toleration  only,  but  to  the  enjoyment  of 
"  original  hymns  "  in  their  worship,  and  has  created  a 
more  discriminative  spirit  in  its  judgment  of  the  Past, 
the  old  Hymns  of  the  Church  come  back  to  us  in  their 
true  dignity,  as  representatives  of  a  religious  life  which 
the  Spirit  of  God  never  suffered  utterly  to  die  out.  It 
is  to  be  remembered  that  from  the  time  of  the  apostles 
to  that  of  Ambrose,  the  Latin  language  was  vernacu- 
lar to  the  churches  of  the  west.  The  hymns  of  that 
period,  therefore,  which  have  survived,  are  relics,  not 
of  an  exclusive  liturgic  worship  in  an  unknown  to4igue, 
but  of  the  living  devotion  of  the  people.  Those  hymns, 
and  others  of  later  times,  are  utterances  of  the  experi- 
ence which  "  kings  and  priests  unto  God,"  have  thought 
and  felt,  and  struggled  through,  and  suffered  for,  and 
sung  in  triumph.      They  are  the  hymns  of  the  early 

4* 


42  VALUE   OF  THE  ANCIENT  HYMNS. 

sanctuary,  sung  by  Christians  whose  fathers  had  joined 
with  the  apostles  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual 
songs.  They  are  the  hymns  of  the  early  morning 
prayer-meeting,  in  which  the  heathen  overheard  Chris- 
tians "  singing  before  daylight  in  praise  of  Christ  as 
a  God."  They  are  the  hymns  of  the  early  Christian 
homes,  which  were  sung  at  marriage  feasts,  and  over 
the  cradles  of  children,  and  at  the  morning  and  even- 
ing foeside.  That  was  a  becoming  appellation  by 
which  some  of  them  were  entitled,  from  the  name  of 
their  author, '  Ambrosian  Hymns.'  They  are  the  hymns 
of  the  Eucharist  and  of  Baptism,  in  which  the  spirit 
of  primitive  consecration  breathed  the  fragrance  of 
its  piety.  They  are  the  early  pastoral  hymns  of  the 
church  which  "  you  could  not  go  into  the  country  with- 
out hearing,"  says  Jerome,  "from  the  ploughman,  the 
mower,  and  the  vinedresser."  They  are  the  early  burial 
hymns,  sung  beside  the  graves  of  the  saints,  young  men 
and  maidens,  old  men  and  children,  by  those  who 
sorrowed  not  as  others.  They  are  the  hymns  of  the 
Martyrs,  sung  by  hunted  worshippers,  at  midnight,  in 
dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,  amidst  armed  men  in  am- 
bush, and  by  prisoners  in  dungeons  and  in  the  flames. 
They  are  the  battle-songs  of  the  church,  sung  in  hours 
of  forlorn  hope,  and  as  the  prelude  and  thanksgiving  of 
victory.  They  are  the  claustral  hymns  through  which 
Truth  gleamed  in  upon  "  spirits  in  prison,"  who,  like 
Luther  at  Erfurt,  struggled  with  unseen  foes.  They  are 
Pentecostal  hymns,  in  which  the  voice  of  the  church 
has  broken  out  anew,  in  difterent  ages  and  lands,  when- 
ever and  wherever  the  place  has  been  "  shaken,"  where 
men  were  assembled,  and  they  have  been  "  all  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost."     They  are  some  of  them  older 


ORIGINALS   OF   ANCIENT   HYMNS.  43 

than  any  living  language,  yet  to-day  they  speak  the  life 
of  Christian  hearts  as  freshly  as  when  they  were  first 
WTitten.  Devout  men  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven 
may  come  together,  and  every  man  shall  hear  them 
speak  in  his  own  language.  Some  of  these  ancient 
hymns  have  probably  been  sung  by  larger  numbers  of 
godly  men  and  women  and  children,  embracing  wider 
diversities  of  nationality,  of  social  rank,  and  of  Chris- 
tian opinion,  and  extending  over  a  longer  line  of  ages, 
than  any  other  uninspired  songs.  They  more  than 
reahze  the  ideal  of  the  'i  Laus  Perennis,"  originated  by 
the  Monks  of  Antioch,  whose  discipline  obliged  them 
to  preserve  in  their  monastery  a  perpetual  psalmody, 
like  the  vestal  fire  or  the  perpetual  lamps  of  mythol- 
ogy. Writers  upon  mediaeval  art,  have  not  failed  to 
trace  the  plastic  influence  of  these  Hymns  of  the 
Church,  upon  Painting  and  Sculpture.  It  is  believed 
that  the  "  Dies  Irse  "  lives  in  Michael  Angelo's  fresco 
of  "  The  Last  Judgment." 

Hymns  so  necessary  as  these  to  the  embodiment  of 
its  real  life  in  song,  the  church  should  not  leave  buried 
in  dead  languages,  or  secluded  in  any  national  liter- 
ature. They  are  the  rightful  inheritance  of  all  future 
ages,  and  should  be  Avorld-wide  in  their  usefulness.  It 
is  surely  time  that  they  were  incorporated  with  Eng- 
lish hymnology.  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  has  at- 
tempted a  beginning  of  this  work,  and  we  hope  that 
future  contributors  to  our  hymnological  stores  will  labor 
in  the  same  mine.  Our  space  will  permit  us  to  extract 
but  a  few  of  these  hymns,  which  we  present  with  the 
Ijatin  originals,  and  in  some  examples  with  the  Ger- 
man versions.  The  first  (Hymn  836)  is  a  "  Hymn  to 
the  Redeemer,"  the  authorship  of  which  has  been  con- 


44  HYMN  BY  GREGORY  THE  GREAT. 

tested,  but  is  traced  satisfactorily  to  Gregory  the  Great 
(A.  D.  540  —  604).  It  was  one  of  the  favorite  hymns 
of  Luther,  who  pronounced  it  to  be  among  the  stand- 
ard songs  of  the  church,  for,  he  said,  it  contained  the 
very  essence  of  Christianity. 

O  Christ !  our  King,  Creator,  Lord  ! 
Saviour  of  all  who  trust  thy  word  ! 
To  them  who  seek  thee  ever  near, 
Now  to  our  praises  bend  thine  ear. 

In  thy  dear  cross  a  grace-is  found  — 
It  flows  from  every  streaming  wound  — 
"WTiose  power  our  inbred  sin  controls, 
Breaks  the  firm  bond,  and  frees  our  souls  I 

Thou  didst  create  the  stars  of  night ; 
Yet  thou  hast  veiled  in  flesh  thy  light  — 
Hast  deigned  a  mortal  form  to  wear, 
A  moital's  painful  lot  to  bear. 

When  thou  didst  hang  upon  the  tree, 
The  quaking  earth  acknowledged  thee ; 
When  thou  didst  there  yield  up  thy  breath, 
The  world  giew  dark  as  shades  of  death. 

Now  in  the  Father's  glory  high, 
Great  Conqu'ror,  never  more  to  die. 
Us  by  thy  mighty  power  defend. 
And  reign  through  ages  without  end. 

The  following  are  the  Latin  original  and  Luther's 
translation. 

Rex  Christe,  factor  omnium   (^brtjl,  ^01110,  ®d)Opfer  cUeV  ^Clt, 
Eedemptor  et  crcdentium       S^m  Syii  bCX  ©Idubigen  bcjltcttt ! 
Placare  votis  sujjplicum  D  (ag  ^Dlt  QCVM  tCV  ^CmUtl)  ?att'«, 

Te  laudibus  coicntium !       Uub  uufent  ^obgefaitg  Qefatt'tt, 


HYMN   BY  ST.  BERNARD. 


45 


Crucis  benigna  gratia, 
Crucis  per  alma  vulnera, 
Virtute  solvit  ardua 
Prima  parentis  vincula. 

Qui  es  creator  siderum, 
Tegmen  subisti  camcum, 
Dignatus  banc  vilissimam 
Pati  doloris  formulam. 

Cruci,  redemptor,  figeris : 
Terram  sed  omnem  concutis : 
Tradis  potentem  spiritum  ; 
Nigrescit  atque  seculum. 


Mox  in  patemae  gloriae 
Victor  resplendens  culmine 
Cum  spiritus  munime 
Defende  nos,  rex  optime  ! 


Su  f)a|I  burrf)  XJeincr  ©imbe  Mvaft, 
X)nvd)  X)cmen  ^ob  am  ^reu^e^^@d[)aft, 
:Der  angeerbten  (Sunben()aft 
^er  erjten  ditcxnun^  entrajft 

X5U  fcf)uf  ft  ber  (Sterne  golb'ne  D'tei^'n, 
Urtb  famjl  mit  un^  eiii  Wlen^d)  ^u  fet)n, 
^11  butbetejl,  un^  ju  befrei'tt, 
X)e^  {rb'fct)en  ^obe^  ©cf)mer^  unb  ^ern* 

^an  frf)(dg't  an^  ^reu^  X)ic()  ^eifanb, 

an: 
2)ie  (5rbe  n)anft  in  il)rer  S3abn ; 
^er  ©eift  entflie()t ;  ,,^^  tjl  t)oU6rarf)t" ! 
Unb  atte  iBelt  becft  bnnfle  3^arf)t 

S5a(b  abet  jleig'jl  au^  ^obe^tt)e{)'rt 
^n  ftegenb  ^n  be^  !^icf)te^  ^ob'n : 
<Bo  fei)  mit  X)einem  (55eift  nnn  Dort 
Un^  <Bd}\xir?  unb  (5c(){rm,  2)u  (larf  er  ^ort! 


The  ancient  and  mediaeval  hymns  are  often  marked 
by  a  subdued  depth  of  pathos  towards  the  person  of 
Christ.  This  is  the  very  life  of  them.  Hence  it  is,  that 
they  are  the  voices  of  Christian  hearts  to  Christian 
hearts,  over  continents  and  through  ages.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  selection  from  one  of  this  class,  from  the  pen 
of  St.  Bernard  (A.  D.  1091  — 1153). 


Jesus  !  the  very  thought  of  thee 
With  gladness  fills  my  breast ; 

But  dearer  far  thy  face  to  see, 
And  in  thy  presence  rest. 

Nor  voice  can  sing,  nor  heart  can  frame, 

Nor  can  the  memory  find 
A  sweeter  sound  than  thy  blest  name, 

O  Saviour  of  mankind  ! 


46 


HYxMN    BY   ST.    BERNARD. 


O  Hope  of  every  contrite  heart, 

O  Joy  of  all  the  meek  ! 
To  those  who  fall,  how  kind  thou  art, 

How  good  to  those  who  seek ! 

And  those  who  find  thee,  find  a  bliss 

Nor  tongue  nor  pen  can  show : 
The  love  of  Jesus  —  what  it  is, 

None  but  its  loved  ones  know. 

Jesus,  our  only  joy  be  thou  ! 

As  thou  our  prize  wilt  be ; 
Jesus,  be  thou  our  glory  now. 

And  through  eternity ! 

The  original  of  these  stanzas,  and  their  German  ver- 
sion are  as  follows,  viz : 

l^em  ^er^cn  wahvc  %xcnt)iQhit, 
:X)crf)  nicbr  ah$  jebe  ^ujl:  erfreut 
2(rf)  X)einer  3ftdt)e  (gugigfeit* 

^em  ?ieberfirom  fo  ikUid)  fltegt, 
^etrt  Manci  fo  frcunblirf)  m^  begritgt, 
Unb  md)t^  fo  fiig  gu  benfen  ijl:, 
m^ :  @otte^  (Bo\)n  ijl  3efu^  ^i)ri% 

Sefui^,  ber  ©ititber  S>o^mnQ^^mx, 
Sen  S3ittenben  ert)orfl  ^u  (]ern, 
Quara  bonus  tequaerentibus?  25em  (Surf)enben  bift  X^u  nid)t  ferii, 
Sed  quid  invenientibus  ? !      ^OBa^  bent  ctft,  bet  X)irf)  faitb,  bctt  ipetm  ?  ! 

^eirt  5Bort  genugenb  firf)  erweif  t, 
Uub  feine  6cf)rift  e^  mitrbig  ^rcif  t, 
g^tur  fitl)(en  fann'^  eiit  glau6',qcr  ©eijlt, 
$Ba^  e^,  'I^idj  Sefum  (iebeit,  l)eigt* 

I^id)  Itcben  !  fiige  $er^en(^pflirf)t. 

Fens  vivus,  lumen  mentium,  T;U  ?eben^C|liett,  2)lt  ©ee(enlicf)t  ! 
Excedens  omne  gaudium,        X)a^  attc  ?UJl:,  bic  Itt  ItU^  I^i^^t', 

Unb  atte  5SSimfci)e  ubermiegt. 


lesu,  dulcis  memoria, 
Dans  vera  cordis  gaudia 
Sed  super  mel  et  omnia 
Eius  dulcis  praesentia. 

Nil  canitur  suavius, 
Auditur  nil  iucundius, 
Nil  cogitatur  dulcius, 
Quam  lesus,  Dei  filius. 

lesu,  spes  poenitentibus, 
Quam  pius  es  petentibus  1 


Nee  lingua  valet  dicere, 
Nee  litera  exprimere, 
Expertus  potest  credere, 
Quid  sit  lesum  diligere. 

lesu,  dulcedo  cordium, 


Et  omne  desiderium. 


HYMN   BY   THOMAS   AQUINAS.  47 

It  is  refreshing  to  find  in  the  very  midnight  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  a  gleam  of  spiritual  light  which  gives 
promise  of  the  morning.  Sucli  is  the  sacramental 
hymn  of  Thomas  Aquinas  (A.  D.  1224  — 1274)  — a 
name  which  we  are  glad  to  rescue,  in  our  own  minds, 
from  its  associations  in  dogmatic  history,  by  means  of 
so  graphic  an  outburst  of  communion  with  Christ,  as 
the  following : 

O  Bread  to  pilgrims  given, 

O  Food  that  angels  eat, 
O  Manna  sent  from  heaven, 

For  heaven-born  natures  meet  I 
Give  us,  for  thee  long  pining, 

To  eat  till  richly  filled ; 
Till,  earth's  delights  resigning. 

Our  every  wish  is  stilled  ! 

O  Water,  life-bestowing, 

From  out  the  Saviour's  heart, 
A  fountain  purely  flowing, 

A  fount  of  love  thou  art  ! 
Oh  let  us,  freely  tasting, 

Our  burning  thirst  assuage  ! 
Thy  sweetness,  never  wasting, 

Avails  from  age  to  age. 

Jesus,  this  feast  receiving, 

We  thee  unseen  adore  ; 
Thy  faithful  word  believing. 

We  take  —  and  doubt  no  more ; 
Give  us,  thou  true  and  loving. 

On  earth  to  live  in  thee  ; 
Then,  death  the  vail  removing. 

Thy  glorious  face  to  see ! 

The  following  original  of  this  Hymn,  and  its  German 
version,  are  from  a  collection  of  the  few  hymns  certainly 


48 


HYMN   BY   THOMAS   AQUINAS. 


known  as  the  productions  of  this  author,  of  which  the 
German  Editor  expresses  the  Christian  judgment  of 
his  countrymen,  by  saying,  that  one  of  them  would  be 
sufficient  to  preserve  the  name  of  Aquinas  through  all 
time. 


O  esca  viatorum! 
O  panis  angelorum! 
O  manna  coelitura ! 
Esurientes  ciba, 
Dulcedine  non  priva 
Corda  quaerentium. 

Olympha,  fons  amoris ! 
Qui  puro  Salvatoris 
E  corde  profluis : 
Te  sitientes  pota ! 
Haec  sola  nostra  vota. 
His  una  sufficis! 

O  lesu,  tuum  vultum, 
Quern  colimus  occultum 
Sub  panis  specie  : 
Fac,  ut  remoto  velo 
Glorioso  in  coelo 
Cernamus  acie  ! 


?abfa(  ber  ^i^qerrcife ! 

£)  Srob,  ber  ^ngef  (Spet'fe ! 

25ie  ^uugrigen  erndl)re 
Unb  ©itgigfett  gewdbre 
^em  §er^en,  ta^  t^id)  fuc^t 

D  ©tront,  Urquelt  ber  ?te5e, 
Set  rein,  unb  tttemaf^  tritbe 
2)e^  D^etter^  §er^  entfliegt : 
l^ie  tiacf)  bir  bitrjten,  trdnfe  ! 
^em  ^unfrf)  ©emd^rung  fd)enfe, 
Ser  aiic  in  (Trf)  frf)Itegt* 

£)  §err,  auf  ben  mv  baueit, 
T)en  Xdiv  ycrborgen  fd)auen 
3n  biefe^  ^robe^  fdil\^ : 
?ag,  wcnn  hic^  S5anb  gefatten, 
Un^  tit  be^  §intmel^  S)aUm 
X)irf)  fe()eit  uuDer^itEt! 


The  Christology  of  the  ancient  hymns  often  exhibits 
an  intense  vividness  of  conception,  in  depicting  the  indi- 
viduality  of  the  relation  between  the  Redeemer  and  his 
disciples.  It  is  like  that  of  a  personal  friendship. 
Some  of  the  Passion-Hymns  of  the  old  hymnology  are 
excessively  theopathic,  in  their  expression  of  this  con- 
ception. But  that  hymnology  contains  also  many 
which  are  only  the  natural  embodiment  in  song,  of  an 
experience  in  which  the  most  eminent  saints  of  all  ages 


HYMN   BY   FRAXCIS   X.A.VIER. 


49 


are  "  of  one  mind  and  one  soul."  Such  is  the  well 
known  hymn  of  Francis  Xavier  (A.  D.  1506  — 1552)  of 
which  the  following  are  the  original,  and  the  English 
version  from  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book : 


O  Deus  !  ego  amo  te, 

Nee  amo  te  ut  salves  me, 

Aut  quia  non  amantes  te 

yEterno  punis  igne. 

Tu,  tu,  mi  Jesu  !  totum  me 

Amplexus  es  in  cruce  ; 

Tulisti  clavos,  lanceam, 

Multamque  ignominiam, 

Innumeros  dolores, 

Sudores,  et  angores, 

Ac  mortem  ;  et  hsec  propter  me, 

Et  pro  me  peccatore. 

Cur  igitur  non  amem  te, 

O  Jesu  amantissime  ! 

Non  ut  in  coelo  salves  me, 

Aut  ne  aeternum  damnes  me, 

Aut  praemii  ullius  spe  ; 

Sed  sicut  tu  amasti  me. 

Sic  amo,  et  amabo  te ; 

Solum  quia  rex  mens  es, 

Et  solum  quia  Deus  es. 


I  love  thee,  O  my  God,  but  not 

For  what  I  hope  thereby ; 
Nor  yet  because  who  love  thee  not, 

Must  die  eternally : 
I  love  thee,  O  my  God,  and  still 

I  ever  will  love  thee. 
Solely  because  my  God  thou  art 

"Who  first  hast  love'd  me. 

For  me,  to  lowest  depths  of  woe 

Thou  didst  thyself  abase ; 
For  me  didst  bear  the  cross,  the  shame, 

And  manifold  disgrace 
For  me  didst  suffer  pains  unknown, 

Blood-sweat  and  agony 
Yea,  death  itself — all,  all  for  me, 

For  me,  thine  enemy. 

Then  shall  I  not,  0  Saviour  mine  ! 

Shall  I  not  love  thee  well  ? 
Not  with  the  hope  of  winning  heaven, 

Nor  of  escaping  hell ; 
Not  with  the  hope  of  earning  aught, 

Nor  seeking  a  reward, 
But  freely,  fully,  as  thyself 

Hast  loved  me,  O  Lord ! 


Luther  surely  was  right,  in  his  eclecticism  towards 
the  "  Hymns  of  the  Church,"  when  such  strains  as 
these  could  proceed  from  the  lips  of  a  Jesuit  mission- 
ary, his  own  contemporary.  The  vitality  of  some  relics 
of  the  old  Latin  psalmody  is  finely  illustrated  in  the 
history  of  the  Hymn  1203,  of  this  collection : 


"  The  pangs  of  death  are  near.' 
5 


60  HISTORICAL  NOTICES   OF  ANCIENT  HYMNS. 

The  original  of  this  was  a  Latin  chant  by  St.  Notker, 
a  monk  of  St.  Gall  in  the  ninth  century. 

In  media  vita 

In  morte  sumus,  etc. 

It  was  imitated  in  a  German  hymn  which  formed  a 
part  of  the  burial-service  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and 
was  then  used  also  as  a  battle-song.  Luther  added  to 
it  several  stanzas.  From  the  Continent  it  passed  over 
into  England,  and  a  remnant  of  it  still  exists  in  the 
Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church  of  America  —  a  remnant  the  familiarity 
and  the  value  of  which  to  the  English  mind  are  pleas- 
antly illustrated  by  the  fact,  that  Robert  Hall  once 
sought  for  it  in  the  Bible,  as  the  text  of  a  sermon.  So 
venerable  does  a  Christian  hymn  become  which  has 
lived  a  thousand  years. 

Many  others  of  this  class  of  hymns  in  the  Manual 
before  us,  have  an  impressive  history.  They  not  only 
have  been  the  utterances  of  devout  men  in  a  remote  age 
—  they  are  on  the  lips  of  thousands  in  the  living  age. 
They  are  among  the  endeared  hymns  of  Protestant 
Europe.  They  are  sung  often  with  voices  which  are, 
as  Ambrose  described  the  congregational  singing  of 
his  day,  "  like  the  blending  sound  of  many  waters." 

Hymn  263  :  "  All  praise  to  thee,  eternal  Lord," 

is  a  version  of  one  of  Luther's  favorite  hymns  on  a 
favorite  theme,  on  which  he  wrote  several  that  are  still 
used  and  loved  by  the  churches  of  Germany,  and  one 
which  is  sung  from  the  dome  of  the  Kreuzkirche  in 
Dresden,  before  daybreak,  on  every  Christmas  morning. 


MODERN  HYMNOLOGY.  51 

Hymn  899 :  "  Fear  not,  O  little  flock,  the  foe," 

was  written  by  Altenburg  in  1631,  with  the  title  "  A 
heart-cheering  Song  of  comfort  on  the  watchword  of 
the  Evangelical  Army  in  the  battle  of  Leipsic,  Sept. 
7th,  1631,  — "God  with  us."  It  was  the  battle-song 
of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  often  sung  by  him  with  his 
army,  as  the  Puritans  sung  the  inspired  Psalms.  One 
tradition  affirms  that  he  sung  it  before  every  battle,  and 
for  the  last  time  before  the  battle  of  Liitzen,  in  which 
he  perished.     A  similar  hymn  by  Lowenstern, 

H}Tiin  1022  :  "  O  Christ,  the  Leader  of  that  warworn  host," 

was  called  forth  by  the  sufferings  of  the  Reformed 
Church  in  the  "  Thirty  years'  war."  It  was  a  favorite 
hymn  of  Niebuhr. 

Hynm  1181 :  "  When  from  my  sight  all  fades  away," 

is  taken  from  a  hymn  written  for  his  children,  by  Paul 
Eber,  a  friend  of  Melanchthon.  It  has  long  been  a 
favorite  hymn  for  the  death-bed.  Grotius  requested 
that  it  might  be  repeated  to  him  in  his  last  moments, 
and  expired  before  its  close. 

Such  are  the  rich  fnemories  that  cluster  around  these 
hymns  of  the  Past.  Many,  the  history  of  which  is  not 
minutely  known,  bear  internal  evidence  of  being  them- 
selves a  history  of  struggling  or  triumphant  hearts. 

§  9.  Modern  Hymnology. 

The  affinity  of  hymnology  with  the  religious  expe- 
rience of  the  church  suggests,  still  further,  the  value  of 
the  best  modern  contributions  to  the  service  of  song: 


52  MODERN   HYMNOLOGY. 

As  in  literature,  art,  and  social  civilization,  so  in  relig- 
ious life,  every  age  has  an  individuality  of  its  own. 
That  individuality  needs,  and  will  have,  in  some  form, 
an  expression.  Its  normal  development  is,  to  express  it- 
self in  the  psalmody  of  the  church.  If  it  be  denied  ex- 
pression there,  it  will  seek  expression  in  a  psalmody 
without  the  church.  It  will  force  itself  into  the  purest 
lyric  forms  of  thought,  wherever  it  can  find  them ;  and 
these  will  be  used,  enjoyed,  loved,  as  the  representatives 
of  an  existing  Christian  life.  That  is  an  unwise  re- 
striction of  a  manual  of  saered  song,  which  admits  only 
the  familiar  and  tried  hymns  of  the  sanctuary.  Espec- 
ially is  that  a  perilous  restriction,  which  is  founded 
exclusively  on  the  taste  and  the  experience  of  a  past 
age,  and  is  aimed  at  a  retention  of  all  the  accumula- 
tions of  that  age,  by  the  force  of  endearing  association. 
Such  a  principle  must  result  in  the  compilation  of 
many  hymns  which  are  intrinsically  inferior  to  others 
of  modern  origin,  and  which  will  be  felt  to  be  so  by 
the  heart  of  the  church,  as  well  as  pronounced  to  be  so 
by  the  taste  of  the  age.  The  consequence  is  conceiv- 
able, that  certain  classes  of  Christian  mind,  if  not  all, 
should  find  themselves  omitting,  or  going  through  by 
routine,  large  portions  of  their  Sabbath  psalmody,  and 
reverting,  on  the  week  day,  to  "  unsanctioned  "  lyrics, 
for  the  invigoration  which  the  <  service  of  song  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord '  has  not  given  them. 

The  same  reasons  which  required  the  extension  of 
hymnology,  by  the  adventurous  labors  of  Dr.  Watts, 
beyond  the  letter  of  inspired  poems,  and  which  have 
again  and  again  expanded  its  range  by  the  supplemen- 
tary labors  of  Wesley,  Steele,  Doddridge,  and  Mont- 
gomery, require  also  its  further  growth  by  the  admis- 


POSITION   OF  DR.   WATTS.  53 

sion  of  the  best  productions  of  living  hymnologists. 
The  question  involved  is  not  a  question  of  taste  alone ; 
it  is  a  question  of  the  adaptation  of  sacred  song  to  a 
various,  and  a  living  Christian  experience.  There  must 
be  breadth  of  range  in  our  hymnology,  in  order  to  flex- 
ibility in  its  expression  of  a  diversified  religious  life. 
We  need  hymns  for  every  existing  mood  of  devotion ; 
and  for  these  we  must  be  indebted,  in  part,  to  living 
poets.  In  no  other  manner  can  the  real  life  of  the 
church  be  symmetrically  expressed  in  song. 

This  view  is  eminently  truthful  as  applied  to  English 
hymnology,  which,  to  an  extent  unparalleled  in  any 
hymnological  literature  but  that  of  the  Hebrews,  owes 
its  existence  and  its  idiosyncracies  to  one  man.  The 
remarks  we  have  already  made  indicate,  we  trust,  that 
we  yield  to  none  in  our  reverence  for  Isaac  Watts. 
Every  student  of  hymnology  knows  the  refreshment  he 
experiences,  in  plodding  through  thousands  of  the  lyrics 
of  inferior  poets,  whenever  he  comes  suddenly  upon 
one  of  the  sterling  psalms  or  hymns  of  this  prince  of 
the  house  of  David.  How  often  has  his  voice  been  to 
us  like  a  song  in  the  night  I 

StiU,  we  cannot  but  discriminate  between  the  use 
and  the  abuse  of  his  productions,  in  the  construction 
of  a  modern  manual  of  psalmody.  Well-known  facts 
in  the  history  of  English  psalmody  are  often  forgotten 
which  yet  have  an  important  bearing  on  the  position 
of  Watts  among  the  poets  of  the  sanctuary.  He  was 
the  pioneer  of  hymnology  in  our  language.  He  had 
no  models  that  were  worthy  of  his  imitation.  He 
wrote  at  an  ag*e  when  anything  from  such  a  pen  as  his, 
was  superior  to  the  standard  psalmody  of  the  churches. 
We  do  not  marvel  at  the  enthusiasm,  with  which  the 

5* 


54  POSITION   OF   DR.    WATTS. 

humble  worshippers  at  Southampton  recoiled  from  the 
tasteless  lyrics  of  the  day,  to  welcome  such  a  song  of 
praise  to  "  the  Lamb  that  was  slain,"  as  the  first  hymn 
which  the  youthful  poet  composed  for  them  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  his  father  : 

"  Behold  the  glories  of  the  Lamb !" 

He  wrote  in  an  age  when  the  poetic  taste  of  England 
was  unformed  —  its  taste  respecting  religious  poetry 
deformed.  It  was  a  period  of  literary  struggle  and 
transition.  The  public  mind  tolerated,  even  admu-ed, 
conceits,  affectation,  coarseness,  in  the  service  of  song. 
Watts  did  much  to  improve  the  literary  temper  of  the 
times ;  his  genius,  at  the  bidding  of  his  piety,  often 
soared  above  the  taste  of  his  contemporaries ;  yet,  he 
sometimes  did  so  unconsciously,  for  he  himself  believed 
that  in  some  of  his  compositions,  now  dear  to  the 
church  and  admired  by  critics,  he  was  sacrificing  liter- 
ary excellence  to  pious  simplicity.  He  expected  to  be 
censured,  he  informs  us,  for  a  too  religious  observance 
of  the  inspired  word,  by  which  the  verse  was  debased 
in  the  judgment  of  literary  criticism. 

But,  powerful  as  his  influence  was  upon  his  age,  the 
age  had  power  also  over  him,  and  he  often  succumbed 
to  it,  by  the  production  of  lyrics  which  the  church  has 
practically  been  willing  to  let  die.  The  immediate  con- 
sequence, however,  in  part,  of  the  transcendent  excel- 
lences of  his  poems,  and  in  part  of  the  purblind  taste 
of  the  age,  was,  that  his  "  Psalms  and  Hymns  "  were 
received  in  the  mass,  by  those  who  accepted  them  at 
all.  Multitudes  sprang  to  greet  theni,  vaulting  over 
from  all  the  hymnology  that  had  preceded  them.  Their 
faults  were  sheltered  by  their  virtues,  to  a  degree  almost 


PROGRESS  IN  HYMNOLOGT.  55 

unprecedented  in  the  history  of  our  religious  literature. 
They  were  embraced  as  a  ivhole^  in  the  affections  of 
the  church,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present,  "  Watts 
entire  "  has  been  the  household  word  of  many  lovers  of 
holy  song.  Hymnologic  taste,  to  this  day,  has  been 
quickened  by  the  breath  of  life  which  the  whole  body 
of  devotional  literature  inhaled  from  the  empyrean  to 
which  Watts  taught  it  to  soar,  but  its  pulse  has  beat 
feverishly  in  the  low  grounds  in  which  tlie  pinions  of 
his  muse  were  sometimes  draggled. 

Meanwhile,  our  national  literature,  and  especially  our 
poetry,  and  still  more  essentially  that  clasG  of  poems 
which  are  nearest  of  kin  to  psalmody,  have  been  un- 
dergoing improvement  which  our  hymnology  must  feel 
—  has  felt.  If  we  repel  it  or  retreat  from  it,  our  ser- 
vice of  song  will  be,  so  far  forth,  grooved  into  the  past, 
and  all  other  poetic  literature  will  stride  in  advance 
of  it,  as  that  literature  has  done  relatively  to  the  psalm- 
ody of  the  kirk  of  Scotland.  If  we  wisely  but  cordially 
welcome  it,  and  try  its  spirit,  and  test  the  past  in  part 
by  it,  and  use  only  that  which  is  good,  we  shall  expand 
the  range  of  religious  song,  and  keep  it  abreast  with 
the  noblest  poetry  of  our  language. 

To  mention  but  one  fountain  of  the  influence  which 
is  working  a  change  in  our  literature,  and  which  has 
created  the  taste  that  appreciates  it  —  is  it  possible  to 
believe  that  Wordsworth  has  done  nothing  to  advance 
our  national  poetry  ?  Has  not  his  influence  on  lyric 
writers  been  positive  and  healthful  ?  Hymnology  is 
moving  under  an  impulse  which,  so  far  as  its  literary 
character  is  concerned,  owes  much  to  him.  We  owe 
to  him,  indirectly,  some  characteristics  of  the  poetic 
forms  which  modern  Christian  life  needs,  in  order  to 


56  PROGRESS   IN  HYMNOLOGY. 

express  itself  in  the  most  becoming  song.  The  im- 
pulse must  be  disciplinary  to  the  public  taste  respect- 
ing the  earlier  poets.  Its  tendency  is  to  prune  away 
the  excrescences  of  Watts's  effusions,  and  to  reduce 
the  number  of  them,  in  our  manuals  of  psalmody,  to 
those  which  can  live  in  the  heart  of  our  churches.  The 
influence  is  salutary  upon  the  reputation  of  Watts.  He 
will  live  the  longer;  his  truly  vitalized  hymns  and 
psalms  will  be  more  permanent  in  the  affections  of  the 
church,  for  their  separation  from  those  which  are  un- 
worthy of  him,  or  so  inferior  to  later  productions  as  to 
invite  unfriendly  criticism.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  of 
Watts's  psalms  and  hymns  will  live  longer,  by  them- 
selves, than  any  five  hundred  can.  To  set  ourselves 
against  this  tendency  to  a  cautious  and  reverent  re- 
trenchment of  "  Watts  entire,"  is  to  oppose  our  hym- 
nology  to  the  whole  current  of  our  national  poetry,  and 
to  seclude  our  churches  from  the  ripest  fruits  of  poetic 
taste  in  the  future. 

This  tendency  to  the  displacement  of  the  inferior 
hymns  of  the  past,  by  the  introduction  of  modern  hymns 
of  superior  merit,  is  sanctioned  by  the  practice  of  the 
church  from  time  immemorial.  In  the  English  church, 
the  Psalmody  of  "  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,"  at  first  an 
innovation,  became  at  length  the  "  Old  Version,"  and 
contested  the  ground  stoutly  with  that  of  "  Tate  and 
Brady,"  which  was  opprobriously  termed  the  "  New 
Version,"  but  which  supplanted  its  predecessor,  and  in 
turn  has  been  itself  largely  encroached  upon  in  the 
affections  of  the  church,  by  the  popularity  of  Watts's 
Psalms  and  Hymns.  These,  no  compiler  of  psalmody 
for  public  worship  since  his  day,  so  far  as  we  know,  has 
desired  to  discard.     But,  practically.  Watts  is  yielding 


DEFECTS   OP  DR.  WATTS.  57 

somewhat  in  the  usage  of  the  churches  both  of  Eng- 
land and  America.  Compilers  of  hymn  books  who  now 
omit  very  many  of  his  once  revered  songs,  do  not  create, 
they  only  express,  the  existing  custom  of  the  sanctuary. 
Many  of  both  his  psalms  and  his  hymns,  are  virtually 
laid  aside.  They  are  not  read  from  our  pulpits  ;  they 
are  not  sung  by  our  choirs  and  congregations.  They 
could  not  be  thus  used,  as  they  once  were,  without  ex- 
posing the  service  of  song  to  the  incredulity  of  our 
children,  and  the  ridicule  of  profane  minds.  Who  reads 
them  ?  Who  sings  them  ?  Who  values  them  for  any 
other  than  their  historic  interest?  Who  that  is  famil- 
^  iar  with  the  poems  of  Watts,  has  not  observed  how 
deceptive  often  are  their  first  lines,  as  an  indication  of 
the  quality  of  the  subsequent  stanzas  ?  The  opening 
couplets  of  his  hymns  and  psalms  often  give  brilliant 
promises.  They  seem  to  be  the  preludes  of  faultless 
lyrics  —  outbursts  of  genuine  song,  which  need  only  to 
be  sustained  to  be  without  superiors  in  uninspired  verse. 
But  often  they  are  not  sustained.  They  are  followed 
by  stanzas  which  doom  them  in  every  pulpit.  A  spec- 
ious but  deceptive  method  of  judging  of  the  omissions 
of  the  productions  of  Watts  from  a  modern  Collection 
of  Hymns,  is  to  designate  them  by  quotation  of  the  first 
lines  alone.  His  very  questionable  assertion  respecting 
the  Psalms  of  David,  is  far  more  truthful  of  his  own. 
"  There  are  a  thousand  lines  in  [them],  which  were  not 
made  for  a  church  in  our  days  to  assume  as  its  own." 
We  shall  illustrate  this  by  examples  in  the  sequel, 
though  we  would  not  seem  to  subject  sacred  thought, 
and  specially  inspired  thought,  to  parody.  We  should 
follow  the  example  of  the  real  life  of  the  churches  of 
our  time,  in  quietly  turning  aside  from  such  lyrics,  and 


58  DEFICIENCIES   OP  MODEKN  HYMNOLOGT. 

leaving  them  unhonored  and  unsung,  forgetting  the 
things  which  are  behind. 

There  are  other  hymns  in  our  modern  Collections 
which  are  retained  only  for  the  want  of  better  hymns 
on  the  same  themes.  Every  student  of  sacred  song 
knows  the  difficulty  of  finding  a  variety  of  good 
hymns  on  all  the  topics  of  Christian  experience,  and 
of  instruction  from  the  pulpit.  On  some  themes,  our 
hymnology  is  meagre.  The  churches  retain  the  hymns 
they  have  on  those  themes,  not  because  they  are  good 
intrinsically,  but  because  no  others  exist  which  are  bet- 
ter. Every  good  manual  of  psalmody,  therefore,  in 
the  present  state  of  this  branch  of  our  literature,  must 
contain  some  hymns  which  we  could  wish  to  see  im- 
proved, or  displaced  by  their  superiors.  But  who  has 
improved  these  hymns,  or  written  richer  hymns  on  the 
same  subjects  ?  We  must  look  to  future  poets  of  the 
sanctuary  to  supply  the  deficiency,  and  when  it  is  sup- 
plied, we  must  not  say  "  the  old  is  better."  Associa- 
tion alone  ought  not  to  perpetuate  the  life  of  a  poor 
hymn  ;  and  Providence  takes  care  that  it  shall  not  do 
so.  For,  in  nothing  is  that  binary  economy  which  ad- 
justs the  laws  of  demand  and  supply  in  the  life  of  the 
church,  more  signally  illustrated  than  in  the  history  of 
hymnology.  The  Christian  fife  of  any  age  is  not  long 
left  to  pine  for  a  full  expression  of  itself  in  song.  The 
poet  appears  when  the  effusions  of  his  muse  are  needed, 
and  when  the  need  is  felt  in  Christian  hearts.  Thus  St 
Ephrem,  Ambrose,  Hilary,  Clement,  Gregory,  sung  the 
experiences  of  the  ancient  church,  because  those  expe- 
riences must  have  an  outlet  in  song.  Thus  Luther, 
Hans  Sachs,  Heerman,  Gerhardt,  John  Frank,  sung  the 
life  of  the  Reformation,  because,  as  one  of  their  suc- 
cessors said  of  himself,  "  the  dear  cross  pressed  many 


HTMNOLOGY   OF  THE   FUTURE.  59 

songs  out  of  them."  In  like  manner  Watts  created 
English  hymnology,  at  a  juncture  at  which  it  is  diffi- 
cult now  to  see  how  the  life  of  English  Reform  could 
have  been  develoj>ed  without  the  moral  forces  of  his 
Psalms  and  Hymns ;  and  Toplady,  Doddridge,  Wesley, 
Cowper,  Mrs.  Steele,  Montgomery,  and  others,  have 
improved  the  heritage  they  had  received,  by  accretions 
of  which  the  modern  Christian  life  has  expressed  its 
need,  by  accepting  them.  It  may  be  true,  literally,  as 
Montgomery  affirms,  that  "our  good  poets  have  seldom 
been  good  Christians,  and  our  good  Christians  have  sel- 
dom been  good  poets  ; "  yet  we  cannot  but  believe 
that  the  existing  amount  of  good  hymnological  mate- 
rials is  larger  than  has  been  commonly  supposed,  and 
that  it  has  a  law  of  increase,  dependent  upon  the  laws 
of  progress  in  the  vital  piety  of  the  church.  An  age 
of  poetic  development  is  not  necessarily  an  age  of 
hymnological  growth.  Great  poets  are  not  of  neces- 
sity able  to  write  good  hymns.  But  an  age  of  advance- 
ment or  revival  in  religious  experience,  will  create 
poets  who  shall  express  its  own  individuality. 

If,  then,  we  are  true  to  the  history  of  the  church,  we 
shall  welcome  new  Psalmists,  who  express  the  real  life 
of  the  church  in  "  new  songs."  Such  songs  have  no 
'  associations  '  to  befriend  them.  They  may  not  appear 
under  the  shadow  of  venerable  names.  They  may  be 
obliged  to  create  the  taste  that  shall  appreciate  them. 
A  new  hymn,  like  a  new  doctrine  of  religion,  or  a  new 
law  in  science,  or  a  new  canon  of  taste  in  literature, 
may  be  compelled  to  abide  its  time.  But  if  it  be  a 
true  hymn,  it  noed  not  contend  for  its  existence.  It  has 
come  into  being  because  Christian  hearts  need  it  — 
not  because  it  needs  them.      They  will  discover  its 


60  HYMNOLOQY   OP  THE  FUTURE. 

worth,  and  will  enshrine  it.  Their  decision  may  be 
more  orthodox  than  that  of  much  that  passes  for  learned 
criticism.  Criticism  said  of  Wordsworth's  poems, 
"  This  will  never  do ; "  but  the  verdict  of  the  world  is 
wiser.  Watts's  theory  of  psalmody  was  pronounced 
a  destructive  innovation;  yet  for  that  service  to  the 
church,  the  fourth  generation  of  his  countrymen  after 
his  decease,  have  celebrated  the  anniversary  of  that 
event,  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving  for  his  birth,  and  are 
now  calling  for  a  national  monument  to  his  memory. 

The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  illustrates,  by  its  materials, 
in  some  measure,  the  views  here  advanced.  While  it 
retains  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  psalms 
and  hymns  of  Watts,  and  while  the  large  majority  of 
its  selections  are  from  the  writings  of  such  long-tried 
poets  of  the  church  as  Watts,  Doddridge,  Toplady, 
Wesley,  Cowper,  Mrs.  Steele,  and  Montgomery,  yet  in 
addition  to  the  revival  of  many  of  the  more  ancient 
hymns,  it  comprises  many  contributions  from  living 
hymnologists.  Of  these,  a  considerable  number  have 
>iever  before  been  published  in  a  manual  of  psalmody 
for  public  worship.  We  believe  that  they  will  live. 
Some  of  them  will  take  the  place  of  more  ancient 
productions,  as  being  more  natural,  or  more  vivid  ex- 
pressions of  modern  religious  life. 

We  have  not  space  to  indicate  the  grounds  of  this 
conviction  by  numerous  citations.  But  we  venture  to 
recall  a  few  of  these  modern  hymns,  for  the  sake  of 
illustrating,  by  a  comparison  of  them  with  those  of 
more  ancient  origin,  the  truth  of  the  principle  for  which 
we  contend  —  that  modern  hymnology  must  be  al- 
lowed, in  many  cases,  to  displace  the  earlier  and 
inferior    songs   of    the    sanctuary.      We    confine   our 


NEW  HYMNS.  61 

suggestion  of  hymns  which  we  think  the  church 
should  lay  aside,  to  the  productions  of  Watts,  —  the 
man  whom,  of  all  hymnologists,  we  most  revere. 

Is  it,  then,  a  loss  to  our  temple-service,  that  we 
should  part  with  Watts's  version  of  the  Fifty-third 
Psalm,  on  "  Deliverance  from  persecution," — 

"  Are  all  the  foes  of  Zion  fools, 
Who  thus  devour  her  saints  ?  " — 

that  we  may  possess  in  its  place  the  following  Hymn 
by  Bonar  ? 

Church  of  the  ever-living  Grod, 
The  Father's  gracious  choice, 
Amid  the  voices  of  this  earth 
How  feeble  is  thy  voice  ! 

A  little  flock  I  —  so  calls  he  thee 
Who  bought  thee  with  his  blood ; 

A  little  flock,  disowned  of  men, 
But  owned  and  loved  of  God. 

Not  many  rich  or  noble  called, 

Not  many  great  or  wise ; 
They  whom  God  makes  his  kings  and  priests 

Are  poor  in  human  eyes. 

But  the  chief  Shepherd  comes  at  length ; 

Their  feeble  days  are  o'er. 
No  more  a  handful  in  the  earth, 

A  little  flock  no  more. 

No  more  a  lily  among  thorns, 

Weary  and  faint  and  few ; 
But  countless  as  the  stars  of  heaven, 

Or  as  the  early  dew. 

Then  entering  th'  eternal  halls. 

In  robes  of  victory. 
That  mighty  multitude  shall  keep 

The  joyous  jubilee. 

6 


62  NEW  HYMNS. 

Unfading  palms  they  bear  aloft ; 

Unfaltering  songs  they  sing ; 
Unending  festival  they  keep, 

In  presence  of  the  King.^ 

We  think  no  one  will  have  the  hardihood  to  question 
that  instinct  of  worship,  which  has  led  our  churches 
practically  to  lay  aside  Hymn  75,  Book  I.,  of  Watts, 
on  "  Love  to  Christ." 

"  The  wondering  world  Inquires  to  know 
Why  I  should  love  my  Jesus  so." 

"  Yes,  my  Beloved,  to  my  sight, 
Shows  a  sweet  mixture,  red  and  white." 

And  we  are  as  confident  that  the  same  instinct  will 
lead  Christian  hearts  to  enshrine  in  their  affections  the 
following,  by  Palmer,  as  one  of  the  sweetest  of  Hymns 
of  Communion  with  Christ. 

Jesus,  these  eyes  have  never  seen 

That  radiant  form  of  thine  ! 
The  veil  of  sense  hangs  dark  between 

Thy  blessed  face  and  mine  ! 

I  see  thee  not,  I  hear  thee  not, 

Yet  art  thou  oft  with  me ; 
And  earth  hath  ne'er  so  dear  a  spot, 

As  where  I  meet  with  thee. 

Like  some  bright  dream  that  comes  unsought, 

When  slumbers  o'er  me  roll. 
Thine  image  ever  fills  my  thought, 

And  charms  my  ravished  soul. 

'  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  1032. 


NEW  HTMNS.  63 

Yet  ttough  I  have  not  seen,  and  still 

Must  rest  in  faith  alone ; 
I  love  thee,  dearest  Lord  ! — and  will, 

Unseen,  but  not  Unknown. 

When  death  these  mortal  eyes  shall  seal, 

And  still  this  throbbing  heart, 
The  rending  veil  shall  thee  reveal, 

All  glorious  as  thou  art !  ^ 

Who  is  not  willing  to  surrender  Hymn  96,  Book  L, 
of  Watts,  on  the  doctrine  of  Election,  — 

"  But  few  among  the  carnal  wise," — 

and  to  substitute  in  the  place  of  it,  a  hymn  which,  in 
the  very  grandeur  of  its  rythm,  as  well  as  in  the  awe- 
struck feeling  which  it  expresses,  is  so  sympathetic  with 
the  doctrine,  as  the  following  hymn  by  Palmer  ?  — 

Lord,  my  weak  thought  in  vain  would  climb 

To  search  the  starry  vault  profound ; 
In  vain  would  wing  her  flight  sublime. 

To  find  creation's  outmost  bound. 

But  weaker  yet  that  thought  must  prove 

To  search  thy  great  eternal  plan,  — 
Thy  sovereign  counsels,  born  of  love 

Long  ages  ere  the  world  began. 

When  my  dim  reason  would  demand 

Why  that,  or  this,  thou  dost  ordain, 
By  some  vast  deep  I  seem  to  stand. 

Whose  secrets  I  must  ask  in  vain. 

When  doubts  disturb  my  troubled  breast, 

And  all  is  dark  as  night  to  me. 
Here,  as  on  solid  rock,  I  rest ; 

That  so  it  seemeth  good  to  thee. 

1  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  689. 


64  NEW   HYMNS. 

Be  this  my  joy,  that  evermore 

Thou  rulest  all  things  at  thy  will ; 
Thy  sovereign  wisdom  I  adore, 

And  calmly,  sweetly,  trust  thee  still.' 

Surely,  no  critic,  in  his  fondness  for  ancient  song, 
would  retain  Hymn  81,  Book  II.,  of  Watts,  on  "  Our 
sin,  the  cause  of  Christ's  death," — 

"  And  now  the  scales  have  left  my  eyes ; 
Now  I  begin  to  see  ; 
Oh  !  the  cursed  deeds  my  sins  have  done  ! 
What  murderous  things  they  be ! " — 

if  its  place  be  needed  for  one  so  penetrative  of  Christian 
experience,  as  the  ensuing  lines,  on  the  same  subject: 

I  see  the  crowd  in  Pilate's  hall, 

I  mark  their  wrathful  mien  ; 
Their  shouts  of  "  crucify  "  appall, 

With  blasphemy  between. 

And  of  that  shouting  multitude 

I  feel  that  I  am  one  ; 
And  in  that  din  of  voices  rude, 

I  recognize  my  own. 

I  see  the  scourges  tear  his  back, 

I  see  the  piercing  crown, 
And  of  that  crowd  who  smite  and  mock, 

I  feel  that  I  am  one. 

Around  yon  cross,  the  throng  I  see 

Mocking  the  sufferer's  groan  ; 
Yet  still  my  voice  it  seems  to  be, 

As  if  I  mocked  alone. 

*  Sabbath  H}Tnn  Book,  Hymn  237. 


NEW  HYMNS.  65 

'T  was  I  that  shed  the  sacred  blood ; 

I  nailed  him  to  the  tree ; 
I  crucified  the  Christ  of  God, 

I  joined  the  mockery  ! 

Yet  not  the  less  that  blood  avails 

To  cleanse  away  my  sin  ! 
And  not  the  less  that  cross  prevails 

To  give  me  peace  within  !  ^ 

The  retention  of  such  of  the  older  hymns  as  have 
been  here  illustrated,  and  the  rejection  of  the  later  pro- 
ductions of  hymnology,  for  the  sake  of  them,  surely 
cannot  command  an  enlightened  defence.  The  adop- 
tion of  "  Sternhold  and  Hopkins"  entire,  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  Dr.  Watts,  which  to  this  day  is  a  fact,  in  many 
churches  of  the  English  Establishment,  would  scarcely 
be  more  obsolete  in  policy,  or  more  offensive.  Mont- 
gomery expresses  the  decision  of  the  large  majority  of 
worshippers  against  these  obsolescent  lyrics,  when  he 
says  of  "  Sternhold  and  Hopkins"  :  "  To  hold  such  a 
version  forth,  as  a  model  of  standard  Psalmody  for  the 
use  of  Christian  congregations,  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, surely  betrays  an  affectation  of  singularity,  or  a 
deplorable  defect  of  taste." 

This  comparison  of  the  living  with  the  dead  Hymns 
of  the  Church,  might  be  largely  extended.  But  this  is 
not  needful.  A  few  cases  of  such  obvious  contrast, 
illustrate  and  establish  the  principle  on  which  the 
compilers  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  have  admitted 
many  modern  hymns  to  this  Manual. 

Among  the  authors  of  the  "  new  songs,'*  appear  the 
names  of  Conder,  Bonar,    Elliot,  Malan,    McCheyne, 

1  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  747. 

6* 


6Q  PROPORTIONS   OF  A  HYMN  BOOK. 

Duffield,  Palmer,  and  others,  well  known  in  the  litera- 
ture of  our  times.  There  are  some  anonymous  hymns, 
both  in  ancient  and  modern  song,  for  whose  authors 
we  now  search,  as  for  a  lost  Pleiad.  Some  of  the 
choice  hymns  of  this  Collection  it  is  impossible  to  trace 
with  entire  certainty  to  their  origin.  Yet  some  of  these, 
as  well  as  others  from  living  "v^Titers,  we  think  will  be 
accepted  by  the  church,  as  expressions  of  genuine 
religious  life,  which  should  have  a  permanent  place  in 
our  hymnology. 

§  10.   The  Number  of  Hymns. 

The  sympathy  of  hymnology  with  religious  expe- 
rience, suggests  also  the  most  important  of  the  princi- 
ples on  which  the  proportions  of  a  manual  of  song  for 
public  worship  should  be  adjusted. 

A  good  compilation  of  hymns  is  something  more 
than  a  conglomeration  of  good  hymns.  It  is  a  structure. 
The  idea  of  proportion  is  omnipresent,  and  the  demands 
of  proportion  are  often  as  decisive  in  its  framework,  as 
in  architecture.  That  is  not  constructive  criticism  of 
such  a  manual,  which  would  judge  of  the  exclusion,  or 
the  admission  of  a  hymn,  by  its  intrinsic  merits  alone. 
Its  relation  to  the  structure  as  a  whole,  should  often  be 
more  conclusive  than  its  absolute  excellence  or  demerit. 
Church  song,  as  an  expression  of  religious  life,  requires 
that  a  hymn-book  be  vital  with  the  life  of  the  church 
collectively.  It  must  possess,  not  only  breadth  of  range 
in  respect  of  the  old  and  the  new,  but  symmetry  in 
respect  of  diversities  of  taste  and  culture.  The  pulse 
of  its  sympathy  with  real  life  must  beat,  not  only 
strongly,  but  evenly. 

In  the  first  place,  a  modern  manual  of  Hymnology 


NUMBER   OP  HYMNS.  67 

must  contain  a  large  number  of  selections.  On  this  topic, 
we  think  that  criticism  has,  for  the  most  part,  been  sin- 
gularly at  fault.  Yet,  we  are  scarcely  correct  in  pro- 
nouncing it  singular.  Probably  every  compiler  of  a 
hymn-book,  within  the  present  century,  has  con;- 
menced  his  labors  with  a  numerical  standard  very  far 
below  that  of  his  ultimate  choice.  The  late  Professor 
Edwards  indicated,  perhaps,  the  general  feeling  of  those 
whose  hymnologic  culture  has  been  directed  by  their  in- 
dividual tastes,  in  the  conviction  which  he  expressed, 
that  '^  two  or  three  hundred  of  the  most  exquisite  songs 
of  Zion,  *  *  *  would  include  all  of  our  psalms 
and  hymns  which  are  of  sterling  value  for  the  sanc- 
tuary." Yet  so  various  is  the  religious  history  of  dif- 
ferent minds, and  so  diverse,  therefore,  are  their  responses 
of  the  heart  to  sacred  song,  that  it  would  be  a  marvel- 
lous coincidence  if  any  two  persons  should  select,  from 
the  same  resources,  the  same  three  hundred  hymns. 

The  degree  of  this  diversity  is  astonishing,  even  with 
the  most  generous  allowance  for  differences  of  charac- 
ter. Experiments  upon  it  are  amusing.  A  very  valua- 
ble Collection  of  Hymns  recently  published  in  England, 
numbering  between  eleven  and  twelve  hundred,  was 
submitted  to  fifteen  clerical  critics,  each  being  requested 
to  erase  the  hymns  which  in  his  judgment  should  be 
omitted.  A  comparison  of  the  returns  indicated  a 
result  like  that  of  the  artist's  masterpiece  under  the 
criticism  of  the  market-place.  Less  than  one  hundred 
hymns  were  retained  by  the  unanimous  suffrage  of 
fifteen  men.  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  was,  in  a  sim- 
ilar manner,  submitted  to  the  inspection  of  ten  clergy- 
men, with  the  request  that  each  should  select  those 
hymns,  not  exceeding  six  hundred  in  number,  which  he 


68  DIVERSITY   OF  TASTES. 

should  deem  indispensable  to  a  hymn-book  for  social 
conference.  The  result  was,  that  of  the  twelve  hundred 
and  eighty-nine  hymns  in  this  Collection,  the  number 
unanimously  rejected  by  ten  critics  from  a  book  of  but 
one-half  the  size  of  this,  was  only  fifty-six. 

Individual  hymns,  also,  are  the  subjects  of  wide  ex- 
tremes of  judgment.  The  quaintness  of  the  old  version 
of  the  one  hundredth  Psalm  — "  All  people  that  on 
earth  do  dwell "  —  offends  the  modern  ear  of  one  re- 
viewer, while  another  pronounces  it  "  the  gem  of  the 
book."  Pope's  stately  hymn  on  the  reign  of  the  Mes- 
siah — "  Rise,  crowned  with  light ;  imperial  Salem, 
rise!"  —  is  deemed  "unfit  to  be  sung,"  by  one  hym- 
nologist ;  while  another  is  so  fascinated  by  its  "  impe- 
rial" measure,  that  he  would  sacrifice  to  it  even  such 
a  hymn  as  one  of  the  choicest  from  Watts :  "  Alas, 
and  did  my  Saviour  bleed." 

Certain  hymns,  yearning  with  the  tenderness  of 
Christian  affection  to  the  Saviour,  like  Hymn  418  of  the 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  — 

"  I  close  my  heavy  eyes, 
Saviour  ever  near," — 

are  condemned  as  approaching  the  passion  of  erotic 
songs.  It  is  true,  they  may  be  easily  parodied  by  pro- 
fane criticism.  Yet  many  devout  worshippers  hasten 
to  learn  them  by  heart ;  and  more  than  one  has  affirmed 
them  to  be  the  richest  lyrics  in  the  language.  The 
feminine  graces  of  the  hymns  of  such  a  writer  as 
Bonar,  are  denounced  by  some,  as  "  not  having  the 
true  ring  in  them  ; "  but  many  others,  of  less  metallic 
tastes,  give  thanks  for  them,  as  "  invaluable  treasures." 
This  proverbial  diversity  of  tastes  is  doubtless  in 


DIVERSITY   OP  TASTES.  69 

part  factitious.  But  it  is  not  wholly  so  ;  it  is  founded 
largely  upon  genuine  differences  of  character,  of  mental 
history,  and  of  religious  wants.  The  human  body,  we 
are  told,  has  such  compass  of  temperament,  that  it  will 
bear  with  impunity  a  degree  of  cold  at  which  mercury 
freezes,  and  yet  a  degree  of  heat  at  which  alcohol  boils. 
The  human  soul  is  not  less  capacious  in  the  amplitude 
of  its  religious  nature.  This  necessitates,  therefore,  the 
expansion  of  a  manual  for  public  worship,  very  far  be- 
yond the  range  of  the  necessities  of  any  one  worship- 
per, or  of  any  one  class  of  Christian  minds.  That  is 
improvident  criticism  which  would  restrict  such  a  man- 
ual to  three  or  four  hundred,  or  twice  four  hundred 
"  gems  of  the  first  water."  A  more  large-hearted  wis- 
dom becomes  all  things  to  all  men.  It  is  a  shallow 
judgment,  either  to  approve  or  to  condemn  such  a  work 
in  the  spirit  of  a  connoisseur  in  aesthetics.  The  very 
conditions  of  excellence  in  a  body  of  popular  psalmody, 
must  extend  its  limits  out  of  the  range  of  a  purely 
Attic  taste.  The  censure  of  it  by  such  a  taste,  may  be 
an  evidence  that  it  has  been  collated  with  a  wise  eclec- 
ticism, with  what  Locke  calls  a  "large,  roundabout 
sense.''''  "  Hymns,"  says  Montgomery,  "  ought  always 
to  be  judged  with  a  proportionate  allowance  by  persons 
of  different  communions.  And  it  requires  no  great 
stretch  of  Christian  charity  to  do  this.  It  is  only  allow- 
ing for  the  wind,  in  calculating  the  course  of  an  arrow." 
These  views  are  confirmed  by  the  actual  circulation 
of  the  several  collections  of  church  songs  which  are 
used  by  the  largest  evangelical  denominations  of  this 
country.  They  are,  without  exception,  voluminous  in 
the  amount  of  their  materials.  The  three  collections 
which  have  been  most  extensively  used  in  the  Congre- 


TO  HYMNS   ON  PROLIFIC  THEMES. 

gational  churches  during  the  last  twenty-five  years,  are 
a  proof  of  this.  The  "  Church  Psalmody"  contains, 
as  we  count,  twelve  hundred  and  eighteen  selections : 
"  Watts  and  Select"  twelve  hundred  and  sixty;  the 
"Connecticut  Collection"  twelve  hundred  and  sixty-five. 
To  these  may  now  be  added  the  "  Plymouth  Collec- 
tion," which  numbers  fourteen  hundred.  "  The  Psalm- 
ist," extensively  used  by  the  Baptist  churches  of  this 
country,  comprises  twelve  hundred  and  forty-eight  dif- 
ferent pieces ;  and  "  Watts  and  Rippon,"  also  employed 
by  the  Baptist  denomination,  numbers  thirteen  hun- 
dred and  fourteen.  Of  the  Presbyterian  manuals, 
"  The  Church  Psalmist,"  adopted  by  the  New  School 
General  Assembly,  contains  eleven  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-three, and  the  "  Psalms  and  Hymns  "  of  the  Old 
School  Assembly  ten  hundred  and  fifty-six.  The 
"  Methodist  Hymns  "  number  eleven  hundred  and  forty- 
eight.  Have  not  such  figures  some  force  as  evidence 
of  an  existing  necessity  ? 

§  11.  Proportion  of  Hymns  on  Prolific  Themes, 

A  manual  of  hymns  for  the  sanctuary  should  give 
a  large  preponderance  to  selections  upon  the  richest  sub- 
jects. Hymnology  has  its  favorite  departments.  They 
comprise  the  topics  to  which  a  healthy  Christian  mind 
turns  with  especial  frequency  and  earnestness  of  affec- 
tion. They  are  prolific  of  the  richest  fruits  of  poetry, 
because  they  are  intrinsically  the  most  fertile  in  sug- 
gestion of  holy  thought,  and  in  the  awakening  of  de- 
vout feeling.  We  can  invent  no  criterion  of  proportion 
in  respect  of  the  themes  of  a  manual  of  church  psalm- 
ody, which  shall  be  more  truthful  than  the  inquiry : 


THEMES   UNEQUAL.  71 

<  On  what  themes  has  the  spirit  of  devotional  song 
actually  taken  upon  itself  form  in  speech,  most  copi- 
ously and  most  cordially  ? '  If  we  can  represent,  in 
the  proportions  of  such  a  manual,  the  devotional  life 
of  the  church,  we  cannot  fail  to  express  the  just  per- 
spective of  truth.  So  shall  we  meet  most  symmetri- 
cally, the  wants  of  Christian  hearts. 

Proceeding  upon  this  principle,  we  find  our  materials 
clustering  densely  around  certain  focal  points,  while 
elsewhere  they  are  comparatively  sparse.  For  instance, 
hymns  expressive  of  delight  in  worship  are  more 
abundant  and  rich  than  hymns  upon  the  Scriptures. 
Hymns  upon  Affliction  are  more  numerous,  and  of 
more  precious  quality,  than  hymns  upon  the  Seasons. 
The  subjective  hymns,  representing  Christian  feeling 
in  view  of  God,  of  Christ,  of  sin,  are  vastly  superior, 
in  number  and  in  merit,  to  the  objective  hymns  upon 
the  Ordinances,  or  the  hymns  of  exhortation  to  the  un- 
converted. "Ambrosial  hymns,"  almost  innumerable, 
are  at  command,  on  the  subject  of  Heaven;  but  where 
shall  we  find  one  that  shall  approximate  to  some  of 
them,  in  lyric  or  devotional  worth,  on  the  subject  of 
Hell? 

These  inequalities  of  proportion  are  not  invariably 
coincident  with  the  differences  of  subjects,  considered 
as  themes  of  theologic  belief.  Doctrines  which  stand 
side  by  side  in  our  creeds,  by  no  means  stand  on  an 
equal  eminence  in  our  hymn  books.  Thus,  our  re- 
sources are  ample,  of  hymns  u|ftn  most  of  the  attri- 
butes of  God  severally ;  but  we  have  few  of  superlative 
excellence  upon  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  We  have 
an  exuberance  of  supply  upon  the  Advent,  the  Life,  the 
Death,  the  Ascension,  the  Reign  of   Christ,;  but  we 


72  THE    TEST   OF   PROPORTION. 

search  in  vain  for  any  redundance  of  choice  hymns, 
upon  either  Depravity,  or  Regeneration,  or  the  Decrees 
of  God. 

From  such  facts,  we  think,  must  be  derived  the  prin- 
ciples of  proportion  on  which  a  collection  of  hymns 
for  public  worship  should  be  constructed.  It  is  true, 
we  cannot  pronounce  the  religious  life  of  the  church 
perfect,  either  in  the  past,  or  in  its  present  development. 
We  must  anticipate  a  growth  of  symmetry  in  the 
church  of  the  future,  which  will  express  itself  in  the 
hymnology  of  coming  ages.  Yet,  substantially^  we 
must  believe,  the  experience  of  the  church  has  ex- 
pressed the  proportions  of  truth  truthfully,  in  its  adjust- 
ment to  the  sanctuary  song.  Christian  hearts  have 
sung  that  which  a  true  experience  of  the  "  life  that  is 
of  God"  impelled  them  to  sing.  The  genius  of  song 
has  hovered  most  wistfully  over  those  great  centres  of 
thought,  with  which  the  spirit  of  communion  with  God 
has  the  most  profound  affinity.  Worship  has  a  deeper 
insight  here  than  mere  Belief.  Hymnology  as  it  is, 
gives  more  trustworthy  hints  of  hymnology  as  it  should 
be,  than  we  can  glean  from  the  history  of  creeds. 

We  adopt  the  principle,  therefore,  that,  in  a  man- 
ual of  church  song,  the  larger  proportion  of  hymns 
should  be  upon  the  themes,  on  which  the  experience  of 
the  church  has  in  fact  made  "  melody  unto  the  Lord," 
most  affluently  and  devoutly.  We  must  follow  the  cur- 
rent of  the  actual  outflowings  of  sacred  poetry  from  the 
heart  of  the  church,  ^he  result  is,  to  disclose  to  us  a 
beautiful  coincidence  between  the  experience  of  the 
past,  and  that  of  the  present.  We  find  that  the  themes 
on  which  Christian  hearts  have  loved  to  sing,  are 
those  which  still  appear  intrinsically  most  consonant 


•  CHRISTOLOGY  OF  CHURCH  SONG.  73 

with  the  spirit  of  worship.  They  are  those  which 
we  should  select  a  priori^  as  most  genially  sympathetic 
with  holy  song. 

They  are,  for  instance,  such  as  the  Being  and  Per- 
fections of  God,  the  Atoning  Work,  the  Personal  Prec- 
iousriess,  and  the  Mediatorial  Reign  of  Christ ;  the 
Feelings  of  a  Christian  in  view  of  sin,  of  God,  of 
Christ ;  the  Communion  of  Saints,  the  Future  of  the 
church,  and  the  glory  of  Heaven.  These  themes,  we  in- 
tuitively feel  to  be  the  central  topics  of  sacred  lyric  poe- 
try. We  can  not  merely  rehearse  them,  we  can  sing^ 
them.  They  suggest  themselves  as  the  subjects  of 
spontaneous  melody.  Hymns  upon  them  are  songs  of 
the  heart.  "  They  come  because  they  must  come,  and 
men  sing  them  because  they  must  sing,  and  the  soul  is 
borne  upward  by  them  into  a  height  of  Christian  life, 
which  animates  and  emboldens  it  for  any  and  every 
special  form  or  incident  of  duty." 

Even  of  this  choicest  group  of  themes,  we  distin- 
guish some  which  transcend  the  rest.  The  history  of 
hymnology  accords  with  the  best  forms  of  Christian 
culture,  in  finding  the  very  heart  of  its  life  in  the  per- 
son of  Christ.  Here  the  rapture  of  holy  song  culmi- 
nates on  earth,  as  it  does  in  heaven.  Here  every 
grace  of  religious  character,  and  every  experience  of  a 
devout  life,  has  found  freedom  to  express  itself  in 
hymns  of  worship.  Where  can  another  such  body  of 
sacred  poetry  be  found  in  any  language,  as  that 
which  comprises  the  Christology  of  the  songs  of  the 
church  ? 

In  the  compilation  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  the 
aim  of  the  Editors  has  been,  to  devote  the  bulk  of 
the  volume  to  these  standard  themes  of  praise,  and  to 

7 


74  PRAISE   TO  A  LIVING  CHRIST. 

do  SO,  if  need  be,  at  the  expense  of  inferior  material. 
Of  the  hymns  in  this  Collection,  it  will  be  found  also, 
that  more  than  one-third  are  upon  themes  in  which  the 
person  of  the  Saviour  is  the  preeminent  object  of 
thought. 

Many  of  these  are  models  of  adoration  of  a  living 
Redeemer.  Protestantism  does  not  worship  a  dead 
Christ.  A  manual  of  Protestant  song  should  make 
much  of  Christ,  as  a  risen,  exalted,  triumphant,  reign- 
ing, blessed  Lord.  "  The  Lord  is  risen,"  was  the 
morning  salutation  of  the  first  disciples.  The  hym- 
nology  of  the  Reformation  was  a  revival  of  communion 
with  an  ascended  Saviour.  The  richest  fields  of  that 
hymnology  have  been  gleaned,  to  obtain  for  the  Sab- 
bath Hymn  Book  the  most  earnest  and  exultant  hymns 
of  love,  of  trust,  of  joy,  in  Christ  as  a  living  Friend. 

In  this  feature  of  its  construction,  we  think  the  book 
expresses  the  most  ardent  aspiration  of  the  piety  of 
our  own  times.  It  is  a  noticeable  fact,  that  modern 
Christian  life,  after  a  period  in  which,  in  the  Calvinistic 
churches  at  least,  the  worship  of  God  as  Creator,  as 
Preserver,  as  Sovereign,  and  as  Judge  of  men,  has 
been  largely  and  intensely  developed  in  the  favorite 
hymns  of  the  sanctuary,  is  now  reverting  with  new 
fervor  to  the  conception  of  God  in  Christ  This  con- 
ception is  central  in  the  discipline  which  characterizes 
modern  Revivals.  Theologic  thought  is  drawn  to  it 
with  a  fresh  fascination.  Living  hymnologists  are 
consecrating  to  it  their  choicest  effusions.  And  to  no 
other  subject  of  song,  does  the  modern  Christian  heart 
beat  in  response  so  gratefully.  The  hymns  of  the 
Moravian  Brethren,  and  of  the  Wesleys,  on  this  theme, 
are  received  with  an  indulgence,  which  once  would  not 


HYMNS   OF  WORSHIP.  75 

have  been  accorded  to  them  beyond  the  pale  of  the 
denominations  to  which  their  authors  belonged. 

The  Editors  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  have  rec- 
ognized these  facts,  and  have  endeavored  to  gather 
into  one  thesaurus  the  most  precious  of  these  utter- 
ances of  praise  to  Christ,  of  all  times,  and  from  all 
sources.  A  manual  of  song  for  the  house  of  the 
Lord,  ought  thus  to  blend  the  voices  of  the  Ages,  in 
"  the  new,  the  old,  the  everlasting  song  of  the  Lamb." 

§  12.    Hymns  of  Worship, 

Collateral  to  the  principle  of  the  preponderance  of 
the  richest  the7nes  of  worship,  in  a  collection  of  sacred 
lyrics,  is  that  of  the  ascendency  of  hymns  of  direct  address 
to  the  Godhead.  The  form  of  worship,  as  well  as  its 
most  fertile  subjects,  should  predominate  largely  in  such 
a  collection.  This  principle  also  grows  out  of  the 
demands  of  devotional  culture.  In  fact,  this  class  of 
hymns  constitute  the  immense  majority  of  the  treas- 
ures of  hymnology.  Comparatively,  the  narrative,  the 
didactic,  the  hortatory,  the  expostulatory,  the  com- 
minatory  hymns,  are  few  in  number,  and  inferior  in 
merit.  The  gems  of  sacred  song  are  almost  all  hymns 
of  worship  ;  not  hymns  of  meditation  only,  not  hymns 
of  appeal  to  men,  or  of  address  to  angeUc  intelligences, 
but  of  direct,  living  communion  with  God.  This  is  as 
it  should.be  ;  and  a  manual  of  psalmody  should  cor- 
respond to  this,  in  its  proportions.  Hymns  of  merely 
meditative  or  hortatory  character  should  be  admitted 
with  no  lavish  hand.  Histories  in  rhyme,  and  sermons 
in  verse,  are  often  the  most  frigid  material  for  a  hymn. 
They  may  sound  mellifluent,  or  grand,  or  solemn,  from 


76  UNLYRICAL   HYMNS. 

the  pulpit,  and  yet  may  be  devoid  of  the  lyric  element, 
and  may  start  not  a  throb  of  lyric  emotion.  Eloquence 
is  not  poetry.  Poetry  is  not,  necessarily,  song.  "  Many 
of  our  hymns  in  common  use,"  says  an  intelligent  mu- 
sician, "  are  so  destitute  of  the  lyric  quality,  that  when 
we  attempt  to  marry  them  to  music,  we  only  bring 
about  a  forced  and  unnatural  union.  A  state  of  ce- 
libacy befits  them  far  better."  "  A  problem  of  Euclid," 
says  another,  "  or  an  auctioneer's  catalogue,  is  about 
as  suitable  to  be  sung." 

A  collection  of  lyrics  for  the  sanctuary  should  be  so 
proportioned  as  to  invite  some  reform,  we  think,  in  the 
present  usage  of  the  pulpit  respecting  this  class  of 
hymns.  Are  they  not  often  suggested  in  undue  pro- 
portion, for  the  singing  of  a  congregation,  because  they 
read  well,  or  because  they  are  good  appendices  to 
sermons,  when  a  hymn  of  worship,  unisonant  with  the 
sermon  in  devotional  tone,  would  be  vastly  more  effect- 
ive for  the  purposes  both  of  worship  and  of  moral  im- 
pression, because  it  would  lift  up  the  soul  to  a  loftier 
plane  of  thought  and  of  emotion,  through  direct  inter- 
course with  the  Most  High  ?  The  comparative  value 
of  the  two  classes  of  hymns  can  be  easily  tested  by 
experiment,  and,  we  imagine,  with  scarcely  a  difference 
of  opinion  in  the  result. 

The  element  of  meditation  and  the  element  of  wor- 
ship are  often  finely  illustrated  in  the  same  hymn. 
Perhaps  no  more  felicitous  example  of  meditative 
poetry  exists  in  our  collections  of  psalmody,  than  the 
first  two  stanzas  of  Cowper's  hymn  on  the  Atonement 
— "  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood."  Those 
stanzas  are  inimitable  in  their  kind.  Every  Christian 
heart  melts  in  the  utterance  of  them.     They  are  a 


UNLTRICAL  HYMNS.  77 

noble  preparative  to  direct  worship.  But  would  the 
hymn  ever  have  reached  the  place  it  now  holds,  in  the 
affections  of  the  church,  if  it  had  been  entirely  com- 
posed of  soliloquy  ?  How  sweetly  and  yet  grandly  are 
we  borne  aloft,  into  a  more  ethereal  realm  of  devotion, 
when  we  reach  the  third  stanza,  and  enter  into  positive 
intercourse  with  Christ  —  "Dear  dying  Lamb,  Thy 
precious  blood ! "  Through  the  remainder  of  the 
hymn,  we  mount  up  on  wings,  as  eagles. 

The  necessity  of  the  precatory  element  to  constitute 
a  hymn  of  the  highest  order  for  the  sanctuary,  is  often 
felt^  when  it  may  not  be^  critically  seen,  in  certain 
hymns  which,  considered  as  poetry  only,  appear  to  be 
incapable  of  improvement.  What,  for  example,  is 
more  faultless  than  the  first  five  stanzas  of  Mont- 
gomery's hymn  on  the  Nature  of  Prayer — "Prayer is 
the  soul's  sincere  desire  "  ?  Yet  why  does  the  singing 
of  those  stanzas  so  often  "  drag  "  ?  It  is  because  they 
are  not  worship.  They  have  the  graces  of  poetry,  but 
without  the  wings  of  song.  They  are  purely  didactic, 
descriptive,  definitive.  The  living  soul  of  prayer  is  not 
in  them.  They  are  lines  upon  prayer,  not  lines  of 
prayer.  In  uttering  them,  ever  so  devoutly,  one  is 
thinking  of  prayer,  not  praying.  What  worshipper  has 
not  felt  a  sense  of  relief  in  the  change  introduced  by 
the  last  stanza,  in  which  the  mind  breaks  away  from 
the  long  dead  level  of  description,  and  rises  to  an  act 
of  address  to  the  Saviour  —  "  O  Thou,  by  whom  we 
come  to  God"  ? 

A  manual  of  Christian  song,  we  repeat,  should  be 
so  proportioned  as  to  invite^  in  the  usage  of  the  pulpit 
and  of  congregations,  a  more  just  ascendency  than  is 
often  given  to  hymns  of  worship,  over  those  of  a  med- 

7* 


78  HYMNS   OF  JOY. 

itative  or  a  hortatory  character.  "  Modern  hymns,"  says 
a  German  writer,  "  are  not  lyrical,  but  didactic.  They 
only  preach  in  rhyme,  and  thus,  they  reach  the  head, 
but  not  the  heart.  If,  now,  the  sermon  preaches,  and 
the  singing  preaches,  and  the  prayer  preaches,  the  mo- 
notony of  the  service  will  occasion  weariness.  But, 
if  the  sermon  preaches,  and  the  hymn  sings,  and  the 
prayer  prays,  there  will  be  a  beautiful  variety  to  exer- 
cise and  interest  all  the  faculties  of  the  soul." 

The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  has  been  constructed  with 
reference  to  this  ascendency  of  worship  over  instruction, 
in  the  service  of  praise.  A  very  large  proportion  of 
this  manual  consists  of  selections  which  are,  in  whole 
or  in  part,  direct  addresses  to  the  Godhead.  Nearly 
one  thousand  of  these  hymns  contain  some  form  of 
praise  or  prayer.  The  volume  "  is  not  meant  to  be  a 
Book  of  Theology  in  rhyme,  but  it  is  called  *  The  Sab- 
bath Hymn  Book,  for  the  service  of  Song  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord.'  "  The  genius  of  the  book  in  this  respect 
is  expressed  in  the  fact,  that  it  begins  and  ends  with 
the  Lord's  Prayer. 

§  13.    Hymns  of  Joy. 

"  Is  any  merry  ?  let  him  sing  psalms."  "  My  lips 
shall  greatly  rejoice  when  I  sing  unto  Thee."  "  I  will 
offer  in  his  tabernacle,  sacrifices  of  joy."  "  Awake  up 
my  glory ;  awake  psaltery  and  harp  ;  I  will  awaken 
the  dawn."  "  The  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  come 
with  songs  and  everlasting  joy."  "  Make  a  joyful  noise 
to  him  with  psalms."  "  Sing,  O  Heavens ;  and  be 
joyful,  O  Earth."  Thus  have  inspired  minds  expressed 
the  natural  association  of  gladness  with  song.      The 


I 


HYMNS   OF  JOY.  79 

proportions  of  a  manual  of  psalmody  should  be  such 
as  to  induce  such  an  association  in  the  Lord's  house. 
The  large  majority  of  selections  should  be  inspiriting-. 

Such  are  the  richest  treasures  of  hymnology;  and 
these,  again,  express  the  best  types  of  Christian  life. 
The  immortal  hymns  of  the  church  are  in  large  part 
the  efflorescence  of  the  invigorating  graces.  Love, 
hope,  trust,  courage,  and  therefore  peace,  joy,  rapture, 
are  ascendant  over  the  sombre,  or  even  the  plaintive 
experiences  in  the  noblest  religious  culture.  So  should 
they  be  ascendant  in  lyric  devotion.  So  are  they  as- 
cendant in  the  most  precious  accumulations  of  song. 

"  The  worship  of  joy,"  says  a  living  writer,  "  is 
higher  than  the  worship  of  sorrow.  Happiness  is  the 
spheral  music,  in  which  a  God,  whose  name  is  Love, 
has  ordained  that  holiness  must  voice  itself."  It  is  no 
fortuitous  occurrence,  then,  that  the  songs  in  which 
Christian  hearts  take  holiest  delight,  are  hopeful  or 
jubilant.  Only  in  condescension  to  weakness,  does  the 
genius  of  praise  admit  any  hymns  expressive  of  dis- 
consolate sorrow.  Only  in  forbearance  with  sin,  does 
it  tolerate  any  wailings  in  spiritual  darkness.  So  long 
as  these  are  actual  experiences  of  life,  we  need  such 
standard  elegies  as  "  Oh  that  my  load  of  sin  were 
gone !  "  and  "  Oh  for  a  closer  walk  with  God ! "  and 
"  Why  is  my  heart  so  far  from  Thee  ?  "  etc.  But  we 
should  do  violence  to  the  symmetry  of  truth,  and 
should  assist  to  keep  down  Christian  experience  in  the 
low  grounds  of  faith,  if  we  should  give  to  such  hymns 
a  preponderance  over  those  of  cheering  and  exultant 
aspiration.  Worship  in  song  should,  as  a  whole,  be  a 
tonic  to  the  worshipper.  It  should  brace  up  the  whole 
being.     George  Herbert,  we  are  told,  was  wont  to  go 


80  HYMNS   OF  JOT. 

twice  a  week  to  the  Cathedral  at  Salisbury,  twenty 
miles  distant,  and  at  his  return  he  would  say  that  the 
music  which  he  heard  there  elevated  his  soul,  and  the 
place  seemed  to  him  like  "  heaven  upon  earth."  Could 
he  have  experienced  such  exaltation,  if  the  Cathedral 
service  had  .been  commonly  in  the  strain  of  the 
"  Miserere  ?  " 

A  group  of  Christian  sufferers  were  recently  heard, 
beneath  the  ruins  of  a  burning  building,  singing  one 
of  their  favorite  hymns  of  triumph,  with  rapid  measure, 
in  anticipation  of  their  struggle  with  the  flames.  So, 
the  Albigensian  martyrs  sung,  in  the  prospect  of  their 
fiery  translation.  Such  a  stimulus  to  courage,  and  such 
a  strengthener  in  conflict,  should  the  prevailing  tone  of 
song  be,  in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  Such,  therefore, 
should  be  the  regnant  spirit  of  a  manual  of  psalmody. 

The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  contains  very  copious 
selections  of  this  character.  It  abounds  with  hymns 
of  adoration  ;  hymns  of  delight  in  worship  ;  hymns  of 
joy  in  God  ;  hymns  of  exulting  trust  in  Christ;  hymns 
of  gratitude  for  the  Advent  of  Christ ;  hymns  of  rejoic- 
ing in  the  Mediatorial  Reign  of  Christ;  hymns  of  com- 
munion with  God  and  Christ;  hymns  of  Christian 
ti'iumph  in  victory  over  sin  ;  hymns  of  courageous  re- 
solve in  conflict ;  hymns  of  joy  in  affliction  ;  hymns  of 
general  thanksgiving;  hymns  of  national  joy ;  hymns 
of  hopeful  aspiration  after  holiness ;  hymns  of  Chris- 
tian assurance ;  hymns  of  delight  in  the  church  and 
the  Ordinances ;  hymns  of  gratulation  in  view  of  the 
prospective  enlargement  of  the  church ;  hymns  of  jubi- 
lee, in  view  of  the  world's  conversion ;  hymns  of  triumph 
over  death;  hymns  of  joy  in  the  Resurrection  ;  hymns 
of  welcome  to  Christ  at  his  second  coming ;  hymns  of 


COMMINATORT   HYMNS.  81 

exultation  in  anticipating  Heaven.  The  reigning  spirit 
of  the  volume  is  thus  in  unison  with  the  state  of  a 
redeemed  soul,  which  sings 

"  I  Ve  found  the  pearl  of  greatest  price ; 
My  heart  doth  sing  for  joy  ; 
And  sing  I  must,  for  Christ  is  mine  — 
Christ  shall  my  song  employ." 

Such  a  volume  is  significantly  characterized  by  the 
spirit  of  its  closing  hymn,  on  a  theme  which  has  been 
seldom  thus  sung  in  jubilant  strains, — 

Eternity  —  eternity  ! 

O  bright,  O  blest  eternity  ! 

Which  Jesus  hath  obtained  for  those 

"VMio  seek  in  him  their  sure  repose  ; 

A  little  while  they  suffer  here, 

But  lo  !  eternity  is  near : 

Eternity  —  Eternity ! 

Eternity  —  Eternity  ! 

Soon  shall  these  eyes  thy  wonders  see  ; 

Oh,  may  I  now  the  world  despise, 

And  upward  raise  my  thankful  eyes, 

And  seek  the  joys  that  shall  abide, 

From  sin  and  sorrow  purified : 

O  bright,  O  blest  eternity !  * 

§  14.    Comminatory  Hymns, 

Hymns  of  commination  are  not  favorites  to  a  healthy 
Christian  taste.  They  should  not  fill  a  large  place  in  a 
collection  designed  for  public  worship.  Like  denun- 
ciatory preaching,  they  must  be  of  raje  occurrence,  to 

1  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  1290. 


82  HYMNS   ON  PUNITIVE  JUSTICE. 

be  effective.  The  Scriptures  inculcate  a  faith  which 
worketh  by  love.  We  have  been  able  to  discover,  in 
the  whole  volume^ of  inspired  Psalms,  but  one  passage 
which,  correctly  translated  and  interpreted,  can  be 
fairly  regarded  as  a  defence  of  hymns  of  comminatory 
exhortation  to  impenitent  men.  The  imprecatory  pas- 
sages are  not  hortatory.  A  highly  dramatic  Psalm  like 
the  Fiftieth,  contains  the  figure  of  denunciatory  horta- 
tion  from  the  mouth  of  God  to  the  wicked ;  and  a 
prophetic  Psalm  like  the  Fifty-second  commences  with 
an  apostrophe  to  the  Edomite  assassin.  But  these 
are  widely  different,  in  rhetorical  structure,  from  hymns 
of  literal,  direct  appeal,  in  which  a  choir,  or  a  congre- 
gation, echo  the  strain  of  a  menacing  discourse  by 
singing,  — "  Sinner,  art  thou  still  secure  ? "  or,  "  Ah, 
guilty  sinner,  ruined  by  transgression." 

It  is  by  no  means  a  sequence,  that  the  becoming 
subject  of  a  sermon  should  be  a  becoming  subject  of  a 
hymn.  That  is  a  very  natural  phenomenon  in  the  his- 
tory of  hymnology,  in  which  it  appears  that  hymns  on 
Heaven  are  innumerable,  and  many  of  them  of  match- 
less excellence,  while  we  search  almost  in  vain  for  a 
good  hymn  on  the  world  of  despair  ;  and  many  hymns 
which  have  been  written  upon  this  awful  theme,  are 
an  abomination  and  a  burlesque.  Sacred  song  instinct- 
ively looks  heavenward.  It  aspires,  it  soars,  it  dwells 
in  light.  We  very  rarely  find  a  natural  occasion  for 
a  hymn  on  Hell.  A  hymn  upon  the  punitive  justice  of 
God,  is  not  a  hymn  upon  the  experiences  of  the  "  sec- 
ond death."  An  earnest  Christian  soul  is  seldom  in 
the  mood  of  song  on  such  a  theme.  When  it  is  so, 
it  demands  a  subdued,  tender,  tremulous  strain,  which 
shall  be  rather  chanted,  or  murmured,  than  sung. 


JUDGMENT  HYMN.  83 

For  instance,  we  can  understand  how  a  worshipper 
can  breathe  in  low  tones,  scarcely  above  a  whisper,  such 
a  hymn  as  the  1289th  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book, 
"  Father  —  if  I  may  call  Thee  so."  We  can  imagine 
the  quivering  sensibility  with  which  one  might  chant 
the  intimations  of  woe,  which  seem  to  palpitate  in  some 
of  the  lines  of  the  old  Judgment  Hymn,  by  Celano. 

The  last  loud  trumpet's  wondrous  sound 
Shall  wake  the  nations  under  ground  : 
Where,  then,  my  God,  shall  I  be  found,  — 

When  all  shall  stand  before  thy  throne, 
When  thou  shalt  make  their  sentence  known, 
And  all  thy  righteous  judgment  own  ! 

Thou,  who  for  sinners  felt  such  pain, 
WTiose  precious  blood  the  Cross  did  stain, 
Who  did  for  us  its  curse  sustain,  — 

By  all  that  man's  redemption  cost, 
Let  not  my  trembling  soul  be  lost, 
In  storms  of  guilty  terror  tossed  ! 

Give  me  in  that  dread  day  a  place 
Among  thy  chosen,  faithful  race, 
The  sons  of  God,  and  heirs  of  grace. 

Trembling  before  thy  throne  I  bend ; 
My  God,  my  Father,  and  my  Friend, 
Do  not  forsake  me  in  the  end !  ^  * 

But  where  is  the  congregation,  or  choir,  that  has 
ever  sung,  in  any  tone,  Hymn  44,  of  the  Second 
Book  of  Watts?  We  beg  the  reader's  pardon  for 
transcribing  it. 

>  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  1282. 


84  WATTS'S  HYMN   ON  "HELL." 

With  holy  fear,  and  humble  song,  • 

The  dreadful  God  our  souls  adore ; 
Reverence  and  awe  become  the  tongue 

That  speaks  the  terrors  of  his  power. 

Far  in  the  deep,  where  darkness  dwells, 

The  land  of  horror  and  despair,  — 
Justice  has  built  a  dismal  hell, 

And  laid  her  stores  of  vengeance  there. 

Eternal  plagues  and  heavy  chains, 

Tormenting  racks  and  fiery  coals,  — 
And  darts  to  inflict  immortal  pains, 

Dyed  in  the  blood  of  damned  souls. 

There  Satan,  the  first  sinner,  lies. 

And  roars,  and  bites  his  iron  bands ; 
In  vain  the  rebel  strives  to  rise, 

Crushed  with  the  weight  of  both  thy  hands. 

There  guilty  ghosts  of  Adam's  race 
Shriek  out,  and  howl  beneath  thy  rod  ; 

Once  they  could  scorn  a  Saviour's  grace, 
But  they  incensed  a  dreadful  God. 

Tremble,  my  soul,  and  kiss  the  Son  : 

Sinner,  obey  thy  Saviour's  call ; 
Else  your  damnation  hastens  on, 

And  hell  gapes  wide  to  wait  your  faU. 

Is  this  poetry  ?  Is  it  a  lyrical  outgushing  of  Chris= 
tian  feeling  ?  Is  it,  then,  in  any  proper  sense,  a  Chris- 
tian hymn  ?  Had  any  other  man  than  Watts  composed 
it,  would  it  not  invite  tlie  criticism  of  Montgomery, 
upon  the  whole  class  of  unlyrical  hymns,  that  they 
"  appear  to  have  been  wi'itten  by  all  kinds  of  persons, 
except  poets  "  ?  We  deny  that  the  hymn  is  impressive, 
even.     It   is    not  a  more   atrocious  violation  of  good 


TRAGIC   DESCRIPTION   IN   HYMNS.  85 

taste,  than  of  that  chastened,  awe-struck,  almost  heart- 
broken emotion  with  which  a  Christ-like  mind  will  con- 
template in  song-  the  existence  of  a  world  of  woe.  No 
heavenly  mind  can  revel  in  song  on  such  a  theme. 
Adoration  of  the  justice  of  God  may,  indeed,  soar  to 
ecstasy.  But  it  will  never  descend  from  that  eminence 
of  benign  emotion,  to  lose  itself  within  the  abodes  of 
despair,  and  to  clutch  at  details  of  modes  and  instru- 
ments of  torture.  Pagan  Mythology  could  open  the 
realm  of  Pluto  to  Orpheus  only  on  a  mission  of  affec- 
tion. Shall  the  taste  of  Christian  Theodicy,  in  song,  be 
less  humane  ? 

Even  of  a  far  less  terrific  theme  of  poetry,  and  one 
never  intended  for  the  accompaniment  of  music,  Robert 
Southey  says  :  "  Is  there  not  something  monstrous  in 
taking  such  a  subject  as  the  '  Plague  in  a  Great  City'?i 
*  *  *  It  is  like  bringing  racks,  wheels,  and  pincers 
upon  the  stage,  to  excite  pathos.  No  doubt  but  that 
a  very  pathetic  tragedy  might  be  written  upon  '  The 
Chamber  of  the  Amputation.'  *  *  *  But  actual  and 
tangible  horrors  do  not  belong  to  poetry.  The  best  pic- 
ture of  Apollo  slaying  Marsyas,  or  of  the  Martyrdom 
of  St.  Bartholomew,  would  be  regarded  as  more  dis- 
gusting than  one  of  a  slaughter-house,  or  of  a  dissect- 
ing-room." 

Still  more  repulsive  is  that  taste  which  dwells  upon, 
and  enumerates,  and  particularizes,  and  describes,  and 
pictures,  and  seems  to  handle  the  machinery  of  eternal 
torment  —  and  this  in  the  strains  of  a  lyric  poem.  Such 
a  ghastly  eccentricity  is  offensive,  most  of  all,  to  that 
benignant  and  reverent  spirit  in  which  piety  often  an- 

'  The  allusion  is  to  Wilson's  "  City  of  the  Plague." 

8 


86  HYMNS   OF   SOLILOQUY. 

ticipates  the  working  of  refined  culture.  Such  a  spirit 
would  as  soon  think  of  singing  Dante's  "  Inferno,"  or 
Milton's  portraiture  of  Sin. 

On  the  principles  here  suggested,  the  Sabbath  Hymn 
Book  gives  preference  to  hymns  of  Invitation,  over 
those  of  Threatening.  Of  hortatory  and  expostulatory 
hymns,  the  choice  has  fallen  upon  those  which  are  ob- 
viously pervaded  with  an  affectionate,  rather  than  a 
comminatory  earnestness.  So  far  as  the  materials  of 
hymnology  admit,  exhortations  of  warning  and  rebuke 
in  the  form  of  soliloquy  are  selected,  in  preference  to 
others  in  the  form  of  colloquial  appeal.  The  "  hymn 
preaches"  less  incongruously  with  the  spirit  of  worship, 
if  a  sinner  is  made  to  address  its  admonitions  to  his 
own  soul,  by  the  use  of  the  first  person,  than  if  he  is 
assailed  by  it,  with  the  second  person,  from  the  lips  of 
another.  Must  not  the  occasion  be  very  infrequent,  on 
which  a  denunciatory  hymn  would  be  as  effective  as 
the  following?  — 

God  calling  yet !  —  shall  I  not  hear  ? 
Earth's  pleasures  shall  I  still  hold  dear  ? 
Shall  life's  swift  passing  years  all  fly, 
And  still  my  soul  in  slumbers  lie  ? 

God  calling  yet!  — shall  I  not  rise  ? 
Can  I  his  loving  voice  despise, 
And  basely  his  kind  care  repay  ? 
He  calls  me  still :  can  I  delay  ? 

God  caUing  yet !  —  and  shall  he  knock, 
And  I  my  heart  the  closer  lock  ? 
He  still  is  waiting  to  receive, 
And  shall  I  dare  his  Spirit  grieve  ? 

God  calHng  yet !  —  and  shall  I  ^ve 

No  heed,  but  still  in  bondage  live  ?  * 


i 


UNITY   OF   WORSHIP.  87 

I  wait,  but  lie  does  not  forsake  ; 

He  calls  me  still !  —  my  heart,  awake  I 

God  calling  yet !  —  I  cannot  stay  ; 

My  heart  I  yield  without  delay : 

Vain  world,  farewell !  from  thee  I  part ; 

The  voice  of  God  hath  reached  my  heart !  i 

Where  can  we  find  a  menacing  hymn  of  exhortation 
to  Christians,  which  will  be  as  quickening  to  fidelity,  as 
the  following  monologue  ? 

My  soul,  it  is  thy  God 

Who  calls  thee  by  his  grace  ; 
Now  loose  thee  from  each  cumbering  load, 

And  bend  thee  to  the  race. 

Make  thy  salvation  sure ; 

All  sloth  and  slumber  shun  ; 
Nor  dare  a  moment  rest  secure, 

Till  thou  the  goal  hast  won. 

Thy  crown  of  life  hold  fast ; 

Thy  heart  with  courage  stay  ; 
Nor  let  one  trembling  glance  be  cast 

Along  the  backward  way. 

Thy  path  ascends  the  skies, 

With  conqu'ring  footsteps  bright; 
And  thou  shalt  win  and  wear  the  prize 

In  everlasting  light.^ 


§  15.     Unity  of  Worship, 

Hymns  of  infrequent  use  often  burden  unduly  a 
collection   of  songs   for   public  worship.     Fidelity  to 

1  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  556.  2  ibi^,  535^ 


88  HYMNS    OF   RESTRICTED   USE. 

the  best  forms  of  religious  life,  requires  that  this  class 
of  hymns  be  restricted.  A  limit  must  be  prescribed 
somewhere,  to  the  expansion  of  a  manual  designed  for 
use  by  assemblies  of  worshippers.  As  time  augments 
our  hymnologic  resources,  the  work  of  selection  be- 
comes the  more  indispensable,  and  yet  the  more  diffi- 
cult. Is  it  not  an  evil  to  number  the  fragments  of  our 
psalmody  by  thousands  ?  It  is  well  that  the  permanent 
taste  of  the  churches  is  frugal  of  its  favor,  and  its  ulti- 
mate criticism  is  severe  upon  needless  accumulations. 
Every  compiler  of  a  hymn-book  should  welcome  this 
test  of  his  work.  Only  thus  can  the  purest  gold  be 
refined  from  the  treasures  of  ages. 

Much  maybe  achieved,  in  assistance  of  this  purifying 
process,  by  a  severe  taste  in  the  estimate  of  the  value 
of  hymns  not  often  used.  Here,  we  think,  is  one  of 
the  most  suitable  points  of  retrenchment.  Hymns  of 
only  occasional  pertinence,  should  yield  precedence  to 
those  which  are  in  constant  demand.  Even  good 
hymns,  of  so  specific  character  as  to  be  seldom  perti- 
nent, may  have  no  claim  to  a  place  in  such  a  manual. 
The  space  they  would  occupy  may  be  needed  for 
hymns  upon  the  standard  themes  —  hymns  equally 
good  intrinsically,  and  better  for  being  upon  standard 
themes.  We  cannot  wisely  admit  many  hymns  upon 
every  distinct  topic  whose  claim  is  restricted  by  its 
own  range  of  use. 

Therefore,  it  is  a  positive  objection  to  a  book  of 
psalmody,  that  it  contains  thirty  hymns  upon  Slavery, 
and  forty  upon  Sabbath  Schools,  and  twenty  upon  the 
Cause  of  Seamen,  and  fifty  upon  Foreign  Missions. 
A  collection  constructed  with  any  degree  of  consist- 
ency upon  the  principle  involved  in  such  adjustments 


WHAT   IS   UNITY   OF   WORSHIP?  89 

of  material,  must  be  either  overgrown  in  bulk,  or  dis- 
torted in  proportions. 

We  speak  of  hymns  "  iipon^^  topics  of  occasional 
aptness,  because  it  is  further  true,  that  hymns  upon 
such  a  topic  are  not  necessarily  the  hymns  most  con- 
genial with  the  devotional  frame  excited  by  that  topic. 
Why  do  we  choose  to  associate  any  topic  of  pulpit 
discourse  with  one  hymn,  rather  than  another  ?  Clearly, 
in  order  to  secure  the  sympathy  of  song  with  the  other 
services  of  the  hour.  Unity  of  loorship  is  essential  to 
the  perfect  excellence  of  any  part  of  worship.  But 
what  is  unity  of  worship  ?  On  what  conditions  does 
it  depend  ?  Surely,  it  is  not  identity  of  thought  and 
emotion,  prolonged  through  the  hour  by  repetition. 
Every  pastor  who  has  been  studious  of  the  proprie- 
ties of  the  Lord's  house,  must  have  observed  that  the 
most  impressive  unity,  so  far  as  it  is  affected  by  selec- 
tions of  psalmody,  is  the  result  of  a  golden  mean 
between  certain  extremes  of  method. 

On  the  one  hand,  the  policy,  which  we  have  known 
some  congregations  to  practise,  of  "  singing  the  hymn- 
book  through,"  consecutively,  on  successive  Sabbaths, 
is  ruinous  to  the  coalescence  of  song  with  other  ele- 
ments of  the  service.  It  is  open  to  the  evils,  without 
the  advantages,  of  a  prescribed  liturgy. 

On  the  other  hand,  that  policy  is  scarcely  more  flex- 
ible, which  demands  invariable  identity  of  theme  in 
song  and  sermon.  That  could  not  have  been  often  a 
natural  method  of  association  of  preaching  with  praise, 
which  Doddridge  and  Watts  practised,  of  transmuting 
the  synopsis  of  a  discourse  into  a  hymn,  to  be  sung  at 
its  close.  In  view  of  such  homiletic  inspiration  of 
psalmody,  who  cares  to  seek  farther  for  the  secret  of 


90  UNITY   OF   SPIRIT. 

the  inequality  of  their  productions  ?  Orton's  edition 
of  the  Works  of  Doddridge  ascribes  to  him  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy-four  hymns.  The  editor  very  safely 
ventures  the  hypothesis,  that  possibly  a  few  of  these 
may  "  appear  flat  or  obscure."  In  truth,  not  a  fourth 
part  of  them  can  be  fairly  regarded  now  as  living 
hymns.  Even  Watts  could  not  often  successfully 
transform  homily  to  song.  It  is  one  of  the  marvels  of 
his  genius,  that  under  the  incubus  of  this,  and  certain 
kindred  habits  of  composition,  he  could  produce,  in 
seven  hundred  efforts,  two  hundred  and  fifty  effusions 
which  the  church  will  not  permit  to  die. 

Between  these  extremes  of  rigidity,  there  is  a  policy, 
as  elastic  as  the  air,  and  as  genial  in  its  working.  It 
aims  at  unity  of  worship,  not  by  sameness  of  theme, 
but  by  resemblance  of  spirit.  It  would  have  a  sermon 
preceded  and  followed,  not  necessarily  by  a  hymn  on 
the  identical  subject,  but  by  a  hymn  on  a  kindred  sub- 
ject, pertaining  to  the  same  group  of  thought,  lying  in 
the  same  perspective,  and  enkindling  the  same  class  of 
emotions.  It  would  select  the  songs  of  the  sanctuary, 
with  the  same  play  of  adjustment  to  the  themes  of 
meditation,  which  a  skilful  Christian  chorister  prac- 
tises in  adjusting  tunes  to  songs.  The  unity  thus  ob- 
tained is  that  of  an  indefinable  affinity,  which  lies 
below  the  reach  of  procrustean  art. 

This  latitude  of  adaptation  between  the  pulpit  and 
the  choir,  extends  as  well  to  the  standard  as  to  the  ex- 
ceptional themes  of  meditation.  Is  not  a  sermon  on 
the  Decrees  of  God,  more  aptly  preceded  by  that  noble 
hymn  of  Watts,  "  Be  Thou  exalted,  O  my  God,"  than 
by  the  standard  hymn  upon  decrees,  "  Behold  the  potter 
and  the  clay"  ?     Fcr  the  want  of  a  better  hymn  upon 


OCCASIONAL   HYMNS.  91 

Regeneration,  the  pulpit  has  stereotyped,  in  the  usage 
of  the  sanctuary,  the  formal  didactic  stanzas  of  Watts, 
"  Not  all  the  outward  forms  on  earth."  But  this  hymn 
contains  not  a  solitary  line  of  worship.  It  is  bald, 
calm,  prosaic  preaching.  Is  there  not  a  more  glow-ing 
sympathy  with  a  sermon  on  this  doctrine,  in  such  a 
hymn  of  invocation^  addressed  to  the  third  Person  of 
the  Trinity,  as,  "  Come,  blessed  Spirit  I  Source  of 
Light"?  or,  "  Come,  gracious  Spirit!  heavenly  Dove"? 
The  sympathy  of  the  liturgic  with  the  didactic  parts 
of  the  church-services,  admits  even  of  contrast  between 
sermon  and  song.  We  have  known  a  sermon  upon 
the  doctrine  of  Future  Punishment  to  be  followed  by 
a  hymn  on  Heaven,  with  a  marvellous  deepening  of 
impression. 

§  16.     Occasional  Hymns. 

This  breadth  of  range  in  the  principle  of  unity  of 
worship,  covers  the  entire  area  of  "  occasional  hymns." 
Who  does  not  generally  prefer,  for  instance,  at  the 
Lord's  table,  to  sing  such  hymns  as, "  Not  all  the  blood 
of  beasts,"  and  "  My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee,"  and 
"  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me,"  etc.,  rather  than  hymns 
upon  the  sacramental  feast,like  that  of  Watts  :  "'T  was 
on  that  dark,  that  doleful  night,"  and  "  Jesus  invites  his 
saints"?  The  hymn  which  the "  Man  of  sorrows" 
himself  chanted,  with  his  disciples,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  Last  Supper,  probably  was  composed  of  the  Psalms 
113  and  114,  —  Psalms  of  worship,  containing  myste- 
rious premonitions  of  the  sacrifice  on  Calvary,  but  not 
one  of  the  sacrament  w^iich  commemorates  that 
sacrifice.     The  Lord's  Supper,  as  in  itself  an  object  of 


92  HYMNS   FOR  SABBATH  SCHOOLS. 

thought,  and,  therefore,  as  in  itself  a  subject  of  song, 
is  not  comparable  to  the  redemptive  work  which  it 
symbolizes,  —  still  less  to  the  person  of  the  Saviour,  to 
whom  the  believing  heart  would  flow  forth  in  love. 
Watts  wrote  twenty-five  odes  expressly  for  the  "  Holy 
Ordinance."  But  the  author  himself  calls  attention  to 
more  than  a  hundred  hymns  in  his  two  preceding  books, 
which  ^'  may  sometimes  perhaps  appear  more  suitable 
than  any  of  these."  Even  of  the  twenty-five  which 
compose  his  third  book,  more  than  one  third  are  not  at 
all  upon  the  ordinance  itself. 

Hymns  for  Sabbath  schools  are  affected  by  the  prin- 
ciples we  have  laid  down  respecting  unity  of  worship. 
Hymns  upon  the  Sabbath  school  must,  of  necessity,  be 
upon  an  inferior  plane  of  meditation,  and  therefore  of 
lyric  emotion,  to  that  of  many  of  our  standard  hymns 
of  worship,  which  are  expressed  in  simple  language,  and 
which  direct  a  child's  heart  to  the  great  objects  of  Chris- 
tian praise.  Can  any  hymn  upon  the  Sabbath  school 
be  so  valuable  to  the  spirit  of  worship  there,  as  the 
hymn  on  the  condescension  of  God : 

"  My  God,  how  wonderful  Thou  art ! 
Thy  majesty  how  bright  !"^ 

or,  as  the  hymn  on  communion  with  Christ : 

"  Dear  Jesus,  ever  at  my  side, 
How  loving  thou  must  be."  ?  ^ 

The  whole  subject  of  hymns  and  hymn-books  for 
children,  deserves   thoughtful  review.      The    Sabbath 

»  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  HjTnn  172.  2  ibid.,  io77. 


INFANTILE  HYMNS.  93 

school  has  become  a  Power  of  evangelical  enterprise. 
Its  healthfulness  depends  upon  its  auxiliary  force,  as 
related  to  the  church.  The  spirit  of  worship  which  it 
cherishes  should  therefore  be  in  unison  with  that  of 
the  church.  Its  songs  of  praise  should,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, be  the  songs  of  the  church.  Many  of  its  richest 
treasures  of  song  are  such.  It  is  an  evidence  that  the 
life  of  the  church  has  some  of  its  most  vital  roots  run- 
ning into  and  under  our  Sabbath  School  system,  that 
hymnology  has  created  for  that  system  some  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  modern  additions  to  this  department 
of  our  literature.  The  simplicity  of  certain  of  the  new 
hymns  for  children,  wins  all  Christian  hearts.  An 
assembly  of  gray-haired  saints  might  sing  them  with 
unction.  "Who  is  not  grateful  for  the  child's  hymn  on 
Heaven,  "  There  is  a  happy  land  "  ?  We  have  seen  an 
audience  of  three  thousand  almost  lifted  upon  their 
feet,  by  one  of  these  "  hosannas "  of  the  "  children  in 
the  temple  ; "  and  we  have  recalled  our  Lord's  words : 
"  Yea,  have  ye  never  read,  *  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes 
and  sucklings.  Thou  hast  perfected  praise  '  ?  " 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  very  best  hymns 
for  children,  are  the  standard  hymns  of  their  fathers. 
A  Sabbath  School  Hymn-book,  therefore,  ought  not 
to  consist  chiefly  of  hymns  written  exclusively  for 
Sabbath  schools.  The  large  proportion  of  such  a 
collection  should  be  devoted  to  the  very  jewels  of 
hymnologic  stores.  It  should  not  be  made  up  very 
largely  of  infantile  hymns  —  hymns  which  none  hut 
children  can  sing.  We  would  have  children  taught  to 
sing  the  hymns  which  will  live  in  their  experience,  when 
they  are  fathers  and  mothers,  old  men  and  women.  Dr. 
Watts  composed  his  "Divine  Songs"  that  they  might 


94  CHILDLIKENESS    OF    HYMNS. 

be  "  a  consta,nt  furniture  for  the  minds  of  children,  that 
they  might  have  something  to  think  upon."  Hymns 
which  one  can  "  think  upon,"  are  generally  the  most 
apposite  songs  of  childhood. 

It  is  a  great  error  to  imagine  that  they  are  unintelli- 
gible, or  unattractive,  to  youthful  minds.  Even  Watts, 
we  think,  was  too  anxious  to  "  sink  the  language,"  as 
he  says,  "to  the  level  of  a  child's  understanding."  The 
taste  of  any  bright  child  will  be  sensible  of  the  con- 
trast, for  the  purposes  of  worship,  between  the  second 
of  Watts's  "  Divine  Songs,"  —  "I  sing  the  almighty 
power  of  God,"  —  and  the  twenty-second,  "  Against 
pride  in  clothes,"  — 

"  Why  shoukl  our  garments,  made  to  hide 
Our  parents'  shame,  provoke  our  pride  ?  " 

The  first  of  these  odes  anybody  can  sing.  The  second 
a  child  very  early  learns  to  put  away,  as  among 
childish  things. 

Walter  Scott,  than  whom  no  man  could  more  skil- 
fully interest  the  young,  said  that  it  was  a  miserable 
policy  to  "  write  down  to  children."  No  other  class  of 
minds  are  so  aspiring  in  their  tastes.  Those  tastes  can 
be  easily  vitiated  by  twaddling  rhymes,  set  to  frisking 
tunes.  But  they  need  only  to  be  taught  some  of  the 
solid  hymns  of  the  sanctuary,  to  understand  them, 
appreciate  them,  love  them.  These  once  loved,  are 
loved  forever.  The  best  of  them,  indeed,  are  youthful 
lyrics  ;  as  the  best  of  "  Children's  Hymns"  are  those 
which  adult  years  love  as  well.  The  best  hymns,  for 
anybody,  are  the  common  property  of  youth  and  age* 
Immortals  are  always  young.     The  charm  which  fas- 


COMMITTING  HYMNS   TO   MEMORY.  95 

cinates  us  all,  in  many  a  sterling  old  psalm  of  praise,  is 
the  childlikeness  of  its  structure —  the  artlessness,  the 
spontaneousness,  the  freshness,  the  sweetness,  with 
which  it  seems  to  exhale  great  thoughts  in  unconscijous 
verse.  Of  hymnology,  as  of  piety  in  its  most  profound 
and  beautiful  forms,  we  may  say,  "  Jesus  called  a  little 
child  unto  him,  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them." 
That  is  the  image  enshrined  in  a  multitude  of  the  most 
precious  of  our  church  songs.  Of  such  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven. 

In  confirmation  of  this  view,  a  sagacious  critic  of 
"Hymns  for  Children,"  says:  "After  more  than  forty 
years'  experience  in  Sunday  schools,  I  have  become 
entirely  satisfied,  that  the  best  hymns  to  be  committed 
to  memory  by  the  youngest  child  capable  of  doing  so, 
are  the  solid,  substantial  hymns  of  Watts,  Cowper, 
Newton,  and  such  like.  With  some  few  exceptions, 
....  I  would  never  store  the  mind  of  a  child  with 
bahy  hymns.  The  same  effort  required  for  that  purpose, 
will  suffice  for  fixing  in  the  memory  some  of  the  choic- 
est hymns  in   the   English  language,  and  when  once 

committed,  they  will  never  be  forgotten From 

their  very  nature,  infantile  hymns  are  ephemeral.  Can 
they  not,  ought  they  not,  to  be  supplanted  by  those  old 
familiar  songs  of  Zion,  which  our  fathers  and  mothers 
taught  us  half  a  century  ago  ?  " 

Most  cordially  we  answer  "Yes  I "  repeating  "with  few 
exceptions,"  and  adding  only,  "  Let  us  bring  forth  out 
of  our  treasures  things  new  and  old."  Let  the  children 
be  taught  to  sing  chiefly  hymns  which  the  fathers  sing. 


"  Our  lips  shall  tell  them  to  our  sons, 
And  they  again  to  theirs." 


96         SABBATH  SCHOOL  AND  CHURCH. 

In  this  direction  of  the  healthy  adaptation  of  our 
terriple-worship  to  the  sensibilities  of  children,  we  look 
for  improvement.  At  present  they  are  too  often  a  for- 
gotten fraction  of  the  assembly.  In  the  dialect,  rather 
than  in  the  themes,  of  prayer^  they  often  find  little  to 
win  their  sympathy.  Still  more  injudiciously  are  they 
often  banished  from  the  service  of  praise,  either  by  the 
selection  of  obsolete,  or  heavy,  or  prosaic,  or  compli- 
cated hymns,  or  by  the  "  performance"  of  intricate  tunes. 
In  no  portion  of  the  Sabbath  worship  should  they  be 
more  thoughtfully  regarded  than  in  this.  Through  the 
most  impressible  years  of  childhood,  this,  if  not  the 
only  one,  is  the  chief  exercise  of  the  sanctuary  which 
attracts,  and  quickens,  and  educates  them.  We  would 
adjust  it  to  their  wants,  in  the  construction  and  the  use 
of  a  manual  of  sanctualry  songs. 

We  would  do  this  in  the  two  methods  already 
hinted  at.  Such  a  manual  should  comprise  many 
hymns  which,  either  in  their  subjects,  or  in  their  style, 
or  in  their  measure,  and  consequently  in  the  tunes 
affixed  to  them,  should  be  specially  fitted  to  win 
youthful  voices.  Then  we  would  have  the  children 
trained,  in  the  Sabbath  school  and  elsewhere,  to  sing, 
and  to  love  also^  and  chiefly^  the  choicest  models  of 
song,  as  judged  by  adult  Christian  culture.  The 
usage  of  the  Sunday  school  and  the  usage  of  the 
church,  should  thus  very  largely  lap  over  upon  each 
other,  and  be  welded  together. 

Of  the  first  of  these  two  classes  of  hymns,  an 
illustration    may  be  seen  in  the  following  group :  ^ 


1  Selected  from  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 


# 


"children's  hymns." 


9T 


Our  Father  God,  who  art  in  heaven."  ' 
Lord,   in   the   morniug    Thou   shalt 

hear." 
Awake  my  soul,  and  with  the  sun." 
Thou  seest  my  feebleness." 
Glory  to  Thee,  my  God,  this  night." 
The  pity  of  the  Lord." 
I  sing  the  almighty  power  of  God." 
My  God,  how  wonderful  Thou  art!  " 
While  shepherds  watched  their  flocks 

by  night." 

■  Hosanna!  be  our  cheerful  song." 

•  To  Thee,  my  Shepherd  and  my  Lord." 
'  Saviour,  like  a  shepherd  lead  us." 

'  To  praise  our  Shepherd's  care." 
'  Yes,  for  me,  for  me  He  careth." 
'  One  there  is,  above  all  others." 
'Holy  Father  I  hear  my  cry." 

•  How  shall   the   young  secure   their 

hearts?" 
'  Holy  Bible!  Book  Divine!  " 

•  Give  to  the  Lord  thine  heart." 

■  O  Thou  that  wouldst  not  have." 
'  I  love  Thee,  O  my  God." 
'Jesus,  the  very  thought  of  Thee." 

1  love  the  Lord  who  died  for  me." 
'  My  spirit  on  Thy  care." 
'  Jesus,  take  me  for  thine  own." 
'  Jesus,  all  atoning  Lamb." 


With  love  the  Saviour's  heart  o'er- 

flowed." 
I've    found    the    Pearl    of  greatest 

price." 
Lord  of  mercy  and  of  might." 
Now  is  the  accepted  time." 
Oh !  see  how  Jesus  trusts  himself." 

•  Pity,  Lord,  the  child  of  clay." 

•  Glory  to  the  Fatlier  give." 

•  Dear  Jesus,  ever  at  my  side." 

'  I  thank  the  goodness  and  the  grace." 

•  O  happy  land '.  O  happy  land  !  " 

'  How  glorious  is  our  heavenly  King!  " 

•  See  the  kind  Shepherd,  Jesus,  stands." 
'  There  is  a  little  lonely  fold." 

'  There  is  a  glorious  world  of  light." 
'  Shepherd  of  tender  youth." 

■  Around  the  throne  of  God  in  heaven." 
'  Eemember  thy  Creator  now." 

'  O  gracious  Lord,  whose  mercies  rise." 

■  From  yon  delusive  scene." 

'When  blooming    youth  is    snatched 

away." 
'  Calm  on  the  bosom  of  thy  God.'' 
'  There  is  a  happy  land." 
'  Will  that  not  joyful  be? " 
'  Sun  of  my  soul!  Thou  Saviour  dear." 
'  O  Thou  that  hearest  prayer." 
'  All  praise  to  Thee,  eternal  Lord." 


These  are  "  children's  hymns  ; "  yet  many  of  them 
would  be  sung,  are  sung,  by  adult  worshippers.  Some 
of  them  are  favorite  hymns  of  the  sanctuary.  These, 
no  hymn-book  for  promiscuous  worship  can  part  with. 

So,  on  the  other  hand,  very  many  of  the  incompar- 
able songs  of  worship  for  a  mixed  assembly,  would  be 
the  gems  of  the  best  book  that  can  be  compiled  for 
Sabbath  schools.  If  the  reader  will  run  his  eye  over 
the  "  Index  of  First  Lines,"  of  any  good  manual  of 
psalmody,  he  will  recognize  a  multitude  of  standard 
hymns,  which  no  just  principle  of  distinction  can 
exclude  from  a  copious  collection  for  children  and 
youth.     The  chief  embarrassment  is  that  of  Limiting 

9 


98 


STANDARD   HYMNS   FOR   CHILDREN. 


the  selection.  By  what  rule  of  taste  or  utility  can  a 
hymn-book  for  Sunday  schools  reject  any  considerable 
number  of  the  following  group  ?  ^ 


"  Sweet  is  the  work,  O  Lord." 

"  Blest  morning,  whose  young  dawning 

rays." 
"  My  God,  how  endless  is  thy  loye !" 
"  Lord,  Thou  hast  searched  and  seen 

me  through." 
"Jehovah  God,  thy  gracious  power." 
"  God  is  a  Spirit,  just  and  wise." 
"Hark!  hark!  the  notes  of  joy." 
"  Thou  dear  Redeemer,  dying  Lamb  !" 
•'  Come,  let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs." 
"  Shall  hymns  of  grateful  love." 
"  Jesus,  hail !  enthroned  in  glory." 
"  Jesus,  exalted  far  on  high." 
"  Sing  of  Jesus,  sing  forever." 
*'0h  could  I  speak  the  matchless  worth." 
"Come,     gracious      Spirit,     heavenly 

Dove." 
"  Lord,  am  I  precious  in  thy  sight?" 
"How    sweetly    flowed     the    Gospel- 
sound!  " 
"  Alas,  and  did  my  Saviour  bleed?  " 
"  Oh  for  a  heart  to  praise  my  God." 
"  Thou  Prince  of  glory,  slain  for  me." 
"  I  will  love  Thee,  all  my  treasure." 
"My  God,  my  portion,  and  my  love." 
"  My  times  are  in  thy  hand." 
"  My  blessed  Saviour,  is  thy  love." 
"And  can  mine  eyes  without  a  tear." 
"  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me." 
"  My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee." 
"When  blest  with   that   transporting 

view." 
"  I  lay  my  sins  on  Jesus." 
"  Saviour,  happy  would  I  be." 
"  Jesus,  in  whom  but  Thee  above?" 
"  Dear  Saviour,  we  are  thine." 
"Jesus,  and  shall  it  ever  be." 
"  O  Jesus,  King  most  wonderful !" 
"  To  Thee,  O  God !  my  prayer  ascends." 


"  Almighty  God !  in  humble  prayer." 
"  My  gracious  Lord,  I  own  thy  right." 
"Dear  Father!  to  thy  mercy-seat." 
"How   sweet,  how    heavenly  is    the 

sight." 
"  Happy  the  souls  to  Jesus  joined." 
"  Teach  me,  my  God  and  King." 
"  Think  gently  of  the  erring  one." 
"  Jesus,  cast  a  look  on  me." 
"  Oh  that  the  Lord  would  guide  my 

ways!" 
"  There  is  a  safe  and  secret  place." 
"  Oh  happy  day  that  fixed  my  choice." 
"  Great  God,  the  nations  of  the  earth." 
"  "Wake  the  song  of  jubilee!" 
"  Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun." 
"  When  shall  the  voice  of  singing." 
"  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains." 
"  Thy  mighty  working,  mighty  God." 
"  While  with  ceaseless  course  the  sun." 
"  Come,  let  us  anew  our  journey  pur- 
sue." 
"  Thou  must  go  forth  alone,  my  soul." 
"  That  solemn  hour  will  come  for  me." 
"Ko!  no!  it  is  not  dying." 
"  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight." 
"  Sweet  is  the  scene  when  Christians 

die." 
"  Asleep  in  Jesus !  blessed  sleep!" 
"  Sister,  thou  wast  mild  and  lovely." 
"  Oh  for  the  death  of  those." 
"  Why  should  we  weep  for  those  who 

die." 
"Far    from   these    narrow  scenes   of 

night." 
"These  are  the  crowns  that  we  shall 

wear." 
"Nor   eye   hath    seen,  nor    ear  hath 

heard." 
"  We  speak  of  the  realms  of  the  dead." 


*  Selected  from  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 


HYMNS   ON   CIVIL  LIBERTY.  99 

Probably  not  one  of  these  hymns  was  composed 
expressly  for  the  use  of  children.  Yet  they  are  all 
adapted  perfectly  to  youthful  capacities.  A  large  ma- 
jority of  them,  we  think,  would  be  indispensable  to  a 
rich  collection  for  Sabbath  schools. 

A  certain  class  of  themes  lie  along  the  border-line 
between  the  religious  and  the  secular  domains  of  song. 
They  cover  some  area  in  both.  Only  on  the  religious 
side  of  the  line,  have  they  any  claim  to  be  represented 
at  all,  in  a  volume  designed  for  liturgic  service.  And 
even  there,  they  are  themes  of  only  occasional  interest. 
The  principles  we  have  advanced  respecting  occasional 
hymns,  therefore,  determine  the  place  and  proportion 
of  such  subjects  in  a  manual  of  psalmody. 

A  representative  of  this  class  is  Civil  Freedom.  As 
a  theme  of  devotional  feeling,  this  cannot  demand  a 
very  large  place  in  such  a  manual.  It  should  not  be 
excluded ;  but  we  think  that  a  prayerful  spirit  will 
often  choose  to  associate  with  it  a  hymn  upon  some 
more  central  theme  of  worship.  Our  literature  con- 
tains "  Odes  to  Liberty"  in  abundance,  which  are 
be  coming  to  a  week-day,  and  the  meeting  for  secular 
reform.  But,  for  a  Sabbath  hymn-book,  a  hymn  on  the 
Universality  of  the  Atonement  is  a  more  thrilling 
protest  of  Christianity  against  slavery,  than  the  best 
of  such  odes.  A  hymn  of  exultation  in  the  Mediato- 
rial Reign,  or  a  hymn  exhorting  to  a  bold  fidelity  to 
Christ,  penetrates  the  Christian  sentiment  on  this 
subject  more  profoundly  than  the  large  majority  of 
"  liberty  songs"  can  do.  "  Hark !  the  song  of  jubilee," 
breathes  a  Christian  soul  into  the  conflict  with  oppres- 
sion, as  no  hymns  can  which  are  composed  upon  the 


100  DEDICATORY   HYMNS. 

model  of  such  lyrics  as  "  Oppression  shall  not  always 
reign,"  and  "  God  made  all  his  creatures  free,"  and 
"  All  men  are  equal  in  their  birth."  We  feel  no  spring 
to  the  battle  of  reform  when  we  sing,  "  O  pure  reform- 
ers, not  in  vain  ;"  but  it  wakes  us  like  a  clarion  in  the 
fight,  to  hear  Duffield's  "  Stand  up !  stand  up  for  Jesus  !  " 

The  same  latitude  of  selection  should  be  extended 
to  hymns  for  the  dedication  of  a  church,  and  for  the 
installation  of  a  pastor. 

It  is  proverbial  that  poems  composed  by  the  poet 
laureates  of  Great  Britain,  upon  the  national  festivals, 
have  been  generally  among  the  least  spirited  of  their 
productions.  South ey  groaned  over  the  labor  of  cre- 
ating them.  Of  one  of  them  he  writes,  in  no  very 
"  fine  frenzy"  of  inspiration :  "  I  have  been  rhyming 
as  doggedly  and  as  dully  as  if  my  name  had  been 
Henry  James  Pye.  Another  dogged  fit  will,  it  is  to  be 
hoped,  carry  me  through  the  job  ;  and  as  the  ode  will 
be  very  much  according  to  rule,  and  entirely  good  for 
nothing,  I  presume  it  may  be  found  unobjectionable." 
"Wordsworth  declined  the  honor  of  the  laureateship,  till 
he  was  assured  that  he  might  regard  it  as  a  sinecure. 

So,  is  it  not  equally  notorious  that  the  majority  of 
hymns  written  expressly  for  the  services  of  Ordination 
and  Dedication,  are  artificial,  meagre,  spiritless  ?  Such 
occasions  are  sympathetic  with  some  of  the  grand  old 
hymns  of  the  church,  like  the  Te  Deum  Laudamus, 
or  the  ancient  hymns  of  praise  to  the  Trinity.  Where 
can  we  find  an  "original"  dedicatory  hymn  on  our 
modern  "  Orders  of  Exercises "  for  such  occasions, 
which  is  equal  to  Milton's  version  of  the  eighty-fourth 
Psalm?  — 


HYMNS   FOR   ORDINATIONS.  101 

How  lovely  are  thy  dwellings  fair, 

O  Lord  of  hosts  !  how  dear 
The  pleasant  tabernacles  are, 

Where  thou  dost  dwell  so  near ! 

My  soul  doth  long  and,  fainting,  sigh 

Thy  courts,  O  Lord,  to  see  ; 
My  heart  and  flesh  aloud  do  cry, 

O  living  God,  for  thee !  ^ 

Some  of  our  standard  hymns  upon  the  Churchy  are 
among  the  most  impressive  dedicatory  hymns  in  the 
language.  Why  must  we  have  prosaic  "  originals,"  in 
place  of  such  much-loved  hymns  as  the  following  ?  — 

"  Glorious  things  of  Thee  are  spoken.** 
"  How  honored  is  the  sacred  place.'* 
"  I  love  thy  kingdom.  Lord." 

None  can  be  more  becoming  hymns  of  dedication  than 
some  of  those  expressive  of  delight  in  worship.  Place 
side  by  side,  one  of  the  multitude  of  hymns  which 
have  been  "  made  to  order  "  for  dedicatory  services,  and 
either  one  of  the  well-known  versions  of  Psalm  122  — 

"  How  pleased  and  blest  was  I.'* 

"  How  did  my  heart  rejoice  to  hear.'* 

"  Oh !  't  was  a  joyful  sound  to  hear." 

4 

Who  can  hesitate  in  deciding  upon  such  a  comparison  ? 
Of  hymns  adapted  to  the  services  of  an  Ordination, 
we  know^  of  none  superior  to  Watts's  version  of  Isaiah 
52  :  7,  "  How  beauteous  are  their  feet."  Yet,  of  other 
selections,  we   greatly   prefer  some  of   our   standard 

1  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  13. 

9* 


102  HYMNS   FOR   ORDINATIONS. 

hymns  of  praise,  such  as  we  have  specified  as  suitable 
to  dedicatory  worship,  to  the  majority  of  those  lyrics, 
in  a  double  sense  "  uninspired,"  which  are  constructed 
"expressly  for  the  occasion"  of  the  installation  of  a 
pastor.  There  is  an  eminent  fitness  to  such  an  ocea- 
sion,  in  a  hymn  of  invocation  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  like 
Hymn  447  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book:  "Spirit 
Divine!  attend  our  prayer."  A  hymn  upon  the  "Ad- 
vent of  Christ,"  may  have  a  singular  pertinence  at 
such  a  time.  When  can  we  more  suitably  sing  the 
stirring  strain  of  Bowring,  "  Watchman,  tell  us  of  the 
night "  ? 

The  historical  association  of  the  appointment  of  the 
ministry,  with  the  Ascension  of  our  Lord,  creates  a 
rare  beauty  in  the  adaptation  of  hymns  on  that  subject, 
and  on  the  Mediatorial  Reign  of  Christ,  to  the  services 
of  an  ordination.  Who  has  not  heard  the  hymn  of 
Coronation  —  "  All  hail,  the  power  of  Jesus'  name !  " 
—  sung  in  thrilling  harmony  with  such  an  occasion? 
With  the  exception  of  the  single  hymn  by  Watts, 
before  referred  to,  we  have  never  heard,  in  an  installa- 
tion service,  another  hymn  which  seemed  to  rise  to 
the  height  of  sympathy  with  the  hour,  and  to  express 
its  grandeur  so  royally,  as  the  version  of  the  twenty- 
fourth  Psalm  by  Tate  and  Brady,  "  Lift  up  your  heads, 
eternal  gates ! " 

This  principle,  that  unity  of  worship  is  a  unity  of 
spirit,  and  is  not  necessarily  founded  upon  identity  of 
theme,  we  repeat,  covers  the  whole  range  of  hymns 
of  infrequent  use.  Its  application  wisely  restricts  the 
number  of  those  which  are  technically  termed  "  occa- 
sional hymns."  We  anticipate  the  time  when  the 
ptiblic  taste  will  so  far  appreciate  it^  as  to  demand  even 


NECESSITY   OF  INFERIOR  HYMNS.  103 

a  more  severe  restriction  of  such  hymns  than  has  been 
adopted  in  the  Sabbath sHymn  Book. 


-^  §  17.   Necessity  of  Inferior  Hymns. 

An  unthinking  criticism  condemns  the  expansion 
of  a  hymn-book  by  the  admission  of  poor  materials. 
Yet  this  is  unavoidable  in  a  manual  possessing  any 
breadth  in  its  range  of  topics.  The  office  of  the  edi- 
tors of  such  a  volume  is,  not  to  create,  but  to  select 
and  arrange.  A  judicious  critic,  who  has  been  mind- 
ful of  this  fact,  adds :  "  That  any  manual  of  sacred 
song  should  be  sufficiently  copious  and  varied  to  meet 
the  demands  of  public  service  in  our  chm-ches,  and  at 
the  same  time  be  free  from  all  apparent  defects,  is  im- 
possible, both  from  the  character  of  the  material  from 
which  it  must  be  compiled,  and  from  the  vast  variety 
of  mind,  differing  both  in  culture  and  custom,  to  which 
it  must  be  adapted.  Perfectly,  and  in  all  parts  to  meet 
the  demands  —  doctrinal,  devotional,  associational,  aes- 
thetic, metrical,  and  emotional  —  presented  in  such  a 
variety,  can  be  expected  from  no  compilers  ;  and  that 
clearly  because  it  is  impracticable  in  the  nature  of 
things.  The  very  completeness  of  such  a  ivork  cannot 
fail  to  breed  offence.  The  very  conditions  of  excel- 
lence necessitate  its  [liability]  to  defects,  positive  or 
negative."  This  is  comprehensive  and  constructive 
criticism.  The  severity  of  aesthetic  taste  must  not  be 
permitted  to  contract  the  range  of  devotional  ex- 
pression in  song.  Our  eagerness  to  consecrate  the 
best  part  of  a  manual  for  worship  to  the  best  themes 
of  worship,  should  not  be  suffered  to  exclude  themes 
less  prolific  of  lyric  emotion.      Our  desire  to  restrict 


104         UNFRUITFUL  THEMES  OF  SONG. 

the  number  of  hymns  upon  occasions,  and  other  hymns 
of  infrequent  use,  ought  not  to  banish  such  hymns 
entirely.  But  few,  on  any  one  such  occasional  theme, 
will  necessitate  many,  in  the  aggregate,  upon  all  such. 
A  hymn  intrinsically  inferior,  therefore,  may  be  so 
valuable  relatively,  as  justly  to  displace  a  hymn  which 
is  intrinsically  its  superior. 

These  principles  are  so  inevitable,  that  they  will 
illustrate  themselves  to  a  candid  review  of  any  manual 
of  song  for  public  worship,  which  has  been  largely 
used  by  the  churches.  Such  a  review  will  disclose  the 
fact,  that  certain  hymns  on  Worship,  on  the  Attributes 
of  God,  on  the  Works  of  God,  on  Providence,  on  the 
Person  of  Christ,  on  the  Atonement,  on  the  Holy 
Spirit,  on  the  Bold  Virtues,  on  Affliction,  on  the 
Church,  on  the  World's  Conversion,  on  Death,  on 
Heaven,  are  omitted^  which  yet  are  superior  to  any 
that  the  same  volume  contains^  on  the  Being  of  God, 
on  Depravity,  on  Regeneration,  on  Justification  by 
Faith,  on  the  Mild  Virtues,  on  Baptism,  on  the  Dedi- 
cation of  a  Church,  on  the  Ordination  of  a  Pastor, 
on  Seamen,  on  Orphanage,  on  the  Poor,  on  the  Op- 
pressed, on  War,  on  the  Seasons,  on  the  "  Second 
Death."  The  very  affluence  of  the  first  of  these  two 
classes  of  themes,  renders  a  choice  selection  of  song 
upon  them  practicable  ;  and  the  rejected  residue  will 
appear  rich  by  the  side  of  the  best  resources  of  hym- 
nology,  upon  the  less  fertile  themes  embraced  in  the 
second  class. 

The  practical  question,  then,  is.  What  shall  be  done 
with  an  unfruitful  subject  of  song?  Theoretically,  it 
is  easy  to  say,  '  Let  us  have  superior  hymns  or  none ;' 
but  practically,  the  problem  admits  of  no  such  facile 


I 


OMITTED   THEMES   OF   SONG.  105 

solution.  Shall  a  hymn  of  only  respectable  merit,  on 
Baptism,  if  it  be  the  best  of  its  class,  be  rejected,  be- 
cause it  is  inferior  to  other  hymns  which  are  rejected, 
on  the  Atonement,  or  on  Heaven  ?  Hymns,  like  pre- 
cious stones,  must  be  tested  relatively  to  the  class  they 
represent.  We  must  not  despise  the  most  goodly  of 
emeralds,  because  they  are  not  equal  to  the  least  bril- 
liant of  rubies.  That  must  be  an  extreme  case,  in 
which  a  weighty  subject  of  Christian  thought  and 
emotion  is  wholly  unnoticed  in  a  book  of  psalmody. 
Some  such  extreme  cases,  we  think,  exist.  We  do 
not  know  of  one  hymn  on  the  subject  of  Temperance, 
which  appears  to  us  to  rise  to  even  the  lowest  level  of 
a  book  of  worship.  Secular  odes  on  temperance  exist 
in  abundance,  but  not  rehgious  hymns.  We  prefer 
therefore,  until  our  hymnologic  resources  are  enriched 
on  this  theme,  to  content  ourselves  with  hymns  which 
have  the  "unity  of  the  Spirit"  with  the  temperance 
reform.  We  should  select  from  such  hymns  as  the 
following : 

"  I  send  the  joys  of  earth  away." 

"  Awake  my  soul,  stretch  every  nerve." 

"  God  is  my  strong  salvation." 

"  Sleep  not,  soldier  of  the  Cross." 

"  Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise." 

"  Stand  up  !  stand  up  for  Jesus  ! " 

"  Think  gently  of  the  erring  one." 

"  Who,  O  Lord,  when  life  is  o'er." 

"  So  let  our  lips  and  lives  express."  * 

We  know  of  no  hymns  T^Titten  expressly  ^ipon  the 
Death  of  an  Infant,  which  are  not  either  offensive  to 
many  devout  men,  on  account  of  questionable  doc- 

1  Selected  from  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 


106  HYMNS   ON  THE  MILD   VIRTUES. 

ti'ine,  or  repugnant  to  devotional  taste,  by  reason  of 
vague,  or  prosaic,  or  sentimental  expressions.  We 
therefore  choose  to  turn,  on  such  an  occasion,  to  hymns 
like  the  following,  which  are  delicately  appropriate  to 
the  event,  and  yet  contain  no  express  allusion  to  it : 

"  Father,  oh,  hear  me  now ! " 

"  In  the  dark  and  cloudy  day." 

"  Father,  my  spirit  owns." 

"  Through  sorrow's  night,  and  danger's  path."' 

Yet  these  are  exceptional  themes.  On  the  large 
majority  of  the  subjects  suitable  to  public  worship, 
hymnology  is  not  destitute  of  materials  of  respectable 
worth.  Where  we  find  such  materials  extant,  we  must 
select  from  them,  rather  than  to  leave  the  class  to 
which  they  belong  unrepresented  in  a  manual  of  praise. 

One  of  the  most  emphatic  illusti'ations  of  the  prin- 
ciple here  adopted  may  be  derived  from  a  comparison 
of  hymns  on  the  Bold  Virtues,  with  those  on  the  Mild 
Virtues.  These  two  classes  of  hymns  are  signally 
unequal  in  poetic  merit.  Bold  virtues  are  chivalrous 
themes  of  song.  They  invite  heroic  strains  of  poetry. 
They  require  a  martial  melody.  They  are  more  facile 
subjects,  therefore,  of  lyric  composition,  than  their 
opposites.  The  very  excellences  of  hymns  on  the 
mild  virtues  border  upon  weaknesses.  Their  sedative 
spirit  may  subside  into  tameness.  Their  tranquil  meas- 
ure may  be  afflicted  with  languor.  Their  soothing 
melody  may  seem  sluggish  to  the  ear.  Human  nature 
is  more  tolerant  of  turbulent  defects  than  of  dulness. 
Therefore  the  gentle  graces  are  among  the  most  diffi- 
cult themes  of  poetry.     They  require  the  rarest  com- 

*  Selected  from  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 


OMITTED  HYMNS.  107 

bination  of  poetic  gifts,  and,  in  fact,  are  not  volumi- 
nously represented  among  the  stores  of  hymnology. 
Practically,  then,  the  inquiry  concerning  certain  hymns 
of  this  class,  touches  the  existence  of  these  graces 
among  our  themes  of  liturgic  song.  "  To  be,  or  not 
to  be  ?  that  is  the  question." 

The  query,  for  instance,  respecting  such  a  hymn  as 
that  by  Bonar,  on  the  Inner  Calm,  "  Calm  me,  my 
God,  and  keep  me  calm,"  is  not,  '  Cannot  a  more  rous- 
ing ode  be  found  upon  Christian  Courage,  a  more 
spirited  battle-song  on  the  good  fight  of  Faith  ? '  Un- 
doubtedly it  can  be.  But  the  question  is,  '  Shall  the 
ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit  be  exscinded  from 
the  adorning  of  our  temple  service  ? '  This  presents  a 
plain  case,  on  which  there  cannot  be  two  opinions. 
Yet  the  principle  involved  in  it  will  necessarily  open  a 
volume  of  church  song  to  some  inferior. materials.  No 
thoughtful  criticism  will  object  to  this. 


§  18.   Omitted  Hymns, 

English  hymnology  probably  numbers,  upon  a  low 
estimate,  thirty  thousand  distinct  poems.  The  most 
thankless  task  of  a  compiler  of  a  hymn-book,  is  that 
of  sitting  in  judgment  upon  questionable  materials. 
The  power  of  rejection  is  as  vital  as  that  of  selection. 
Of  the  most  defective  hymns,  none  are  so  unworthy 
as  not  to  be  somebody's  "  favorites ;"  and  of  the  most 
comely,  few  are  so  faultless  as  to  pass  every  sentinel 
of  criticism  unchallenged.  If  a  man  can  be  content 
with  none  but  a  "  perfect "  hymn-book,  he  must  con- 
struct it  for  himself,  and  then  be  content  to  find  no 
second  critic  to  confirm  his  judgment. 


108  UNSYMMETRICAL  HYMNS. 

Still,  an  approximation  to  a  general  standard  of  ex- 
cellence is  practicable.  We  think  that  the  main  prin- 
ciples by  which  the  rejection  of  materials  from  a 
manual  of  psalmody  should  be  regulated,  are  sug- 
gested in  the  foregoing  pages.  Practically,  they  often 
cross  each  other.  On  one  principle  of  taste  a  hymn 
should  be  approved ;  on  another,  condemned.  Objec- 
tions to  certain  hymns,  therefore,  are  perfectly  valid, 
and  yet  not  conclusive.  Commendations  of  other 
hymns  are  equally  reasonable,  and  yet  equally  inde- 
cisive.    The  verdict  often  lingers  in  a  dancing  balance. 

The  following  are  the  most  important  of  the  objec- 
tions to  materials,  which,  for  one  or  more  of  the  reasons 
here  named,  should  be  omitted  from  a  manual  of 
church  psalmody.  We  notice  them  chiefly  by  recapitu- 
lation of  principles  already  discussed  or  implied  in 
other  connections. 

1.  It  is  an  objection  to  a  hymn,  that  it  is  not  symmet- 
rical in  point  of  excellence. 

This  principle  is  so  well  enforced  by  Montgomery,  in 
his  essay  introductory  to  the  "  Christian  Psalmist," 
that  we  cannot  more  briefly  present  it,  than  in  his  own 
words.  "  A  hymn,"  he  observes,  "  ought  to  be  as  regu- 
lar in  its  structure  as  any  other  poem.  It  should  have 
*  *  a  beginning,  middle,  and  end.  There  should  be  a 
manifest  gradation  in  the  thoughts ;  *  *  every  line  car- 
rying forward  the  connection,  and  every  verse  adding  a 
well-proportioned  limb  to  a  symmetrical  body.  The 
reader,  *  *  when  the  strain  is  complete,  [should]  be 
satisfied^  as  at  the  close  of  an  air  in  music.  *  *  The 
practice  of  many  good  men,  in  framing  hymns,  has 
been  quite  the  contrary.  They  have  begun,  apparently, 
with  the  only  idea  in  their  mind  at  the  time ;  another, 


UNSYMMETRICAL  HYMNS.  109 

with  little  relationship  to  the  former,  has  been  forced 
upon  them  by  a  refractory  rhyme ;  a  third,  became 
necessary  to  eke  out  a  verse ;  a  fourth,  to  begin  one ; 
and  so  on,  till,  having  compiled  a  sufficient  number  of 
stanzas  of  so  many  lines,  and  lines  of  so  many  sylla- 
bles, the  operation  has  been  suspended;  whereas  it 
might,  with  equal  consistency,  have  been  conj;inued  to 
any  imaginable  length,  and  the  tenth  or  ten  thousandth 
link  might  have  been  struck  out,  or  changed  places 
with  any  other,  without  the  slightest  infraction  of 
the  chain ;  the  whole  being  a  series  of  independent 
verses,  collocated  as  they  came,  and  the  burden  a  cento 
of  phrases,  figures,  and  ideas,  the  common  property  of 
every  writer  who  had  none  of  his  own.  *  *  Such  rhap- 
sodies may  be  sung,  *  *  but  they  leave  no  trace  in  the 
memory,  make  no  impression  on  the  heart,  and  fall 
through  the  mind,  as  sounds  glide  through  the  ear, — 
pleasant,  it  may  be,  in  their  passage,  but  never  return- 
ing to  haunt  the  imagination  in  retirement,  or,  in  the 
multitude  of  the  thoughts,  to  refresh  the  soul.  Of 
how  contrary  a  character  *  *  *  are  those  hymns  which, 
once  heard,  are  remembered  without  effort,  *  *  are  in 
everybody's  mouth,  and  everybody's  heart ! "  ^ 

Is  not  this  description  clairvoyant  of  the  process  by 
which  a  very  large  number  of  hymns  have  been  com- 
posed, which  still  contain  some  lines,  possibly  some 
stanzas,  of  rare  merit?  They  are  not  good  hymns, 
because  they  have  no  sustained  excellence.  Many  of 
Dr.  Watts's  psalms  and  hymns,  with  their  glorious  pro- 
ems, fall  into  this  rank. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  remarkable  inequality 


Montgomery's  "  Christian  Psalmist,"  Introductory  Essay,  p.  xiv. 

10 


110  FIRST  LINES  OP  HYMNS. 

between  the  first  lines  or  couplets  of  some  of  Watts's 
lyrics,  and  the  subsequent  stanzas.  We  would  apolo- 
gize for  another  suggestion,  if  the  shallowness  of  the 
criticism  to  which  hymns  and  hymn-books  are  often 
subjected,  did  not  compel  us  to  offer  it.  It  is,  that  no 
fair  judgment  can  be  formed  of  the  omissions  from  a 
manual  gf  hymnology,  by  an  examination  of  its  index 
of  first  lines.  That  criticism  which  runs  its  eye  along 
the  columns  of  such  an  index,  and  censures  the  absence 
of  well  known,  beautiful,  or  sublime  beginnings,  is 
sheer  indolence.  The  truth  is,  respecting  many  of  the 
selections  in  the  more  ancient  manuals,  the  most  that 
is  generally  known  of  them  is  their  beginnings.  The 
subsequent  stanzas  are  so  impotent  or  repulsive,  that 
few  persons  read  them.  A  preacher  may  be  some- 
times entrapped  into  the  public  reading  of  them  by 
their  beautiful  exordiums,  and  a  choir  may  sing  them 
with  stifled  merriment ;  but  the  preacher  soon  becomes 
more  wary,  and  at  length  the  congregation  do  not 
know  that  such  contents  are  within  the  covers  of  their 
hymn-books. 

Let  us  test,  then,  this  glib  method  of  judging  of 
omitted  hymns.  We  turn,  almost  at  random,  to  Watts's 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  and  read  — 

"  My  soul,  the  great  Creator  praise, 
"WTien  clothed  in  his  celestial  rays." — 

A  noble  beginning.  Why  should  such  a  grand  ode  be 
rejected?    But  we  read  on,  and  soon  we  come  upon  — 

9 

"  Tame  heifers  there  their  thirst  allay, 
And  for  the  stream  wild  asses  bray." 


^ 


Ill 


"  Fierce  lions  lead  their  young  abroad, 
And  roaring  ask  their  meat  from  God.' 


And  foams  and  sports  in  spite  of  man." 

Shall  we  ask  a  youthful  choir,  or  a  grave  congregation, 
to  sing  these  things  ? 

But  we  turn  again,  and  our  eye  is  charmed  by  the 
following  couplet : 

"  Give  thanks  to  God,  invoke  his  name, 
And  tell  the  world  his  grace." 

This  is  promising.  "Why  should  we  discard  so  venera- 
ble a  psalm  ?  But  shall  we  venture  to  proceed,  and 
sing,  perhaps  on  a  midsummer's  day,  or  at  nightfall  — 

"  He  gave  the  sign,  and  noisome  flies 
Through  the  whole  country  spread, 
And  frogs  in  croaking  armies  rise 
About  the  monarch's  bed  "  ? 

Again  we  read  a  line  whose  lowly  spurit  invites  us  to 
pause ; 

"  Deep  in  the  dust,  before  thy  throne." 

Could  words  be  more  becoming  to  the  introduction  of 
an  act  of  contrite  worship  from  a  full,  burdened  heart  ? 
But  how  rudely  is  the  spirit  of  penitent  song  balked, 
by  being  brought  up  against  such  a  block  of  polemic 
theology  as  this  !  — 

"  Adam,  the  sinner :  at  his  faU 
Death,  like  a  conqueror,  seized  us  all ; 
A  thousand  new-bom  babes  are  dead, 
By  fatal  union  to  their  head ! " 


112  DR.   WATTS'S   FIRST   LINES. 

We  start  anew,  and  wander  on  till  our  eye  falls  upon 
a  line,  of  which  we  say,  '  Surely  this  is  safef— 

"  Of  justice  and  of  grace  I  sing," — 

but  song   refuses  to  come  at  our  bidding,  when  we 
read  — 

"  The  wretch  who  deals  in  sly  deceit, 
I  '11  not  endure  a  night." 

"  I  '11  purge  my  family  around, 
And  make  the  wicked  flee." 

Once  more,  we  cannot  avoid  lingering  upon  the 
truly  lyric  and  inspiring  strain : 

"  Jesus,  with  all  thy  saints  above. 
My  tongue  shall  bear  her  part," — 

but  even  this  hosanna  languishes  on  our  tongues,  when 
we  are  invoked  to  add  — 

"  And  sent  the  lion  down  to  howl, 
"Where  hell  and  horror  reigns." 

We  do  not  cite  these  examples  with  irreverent  de- 
sign. But  it  is  well  that  we  should  know  what  com- 
modities we  have,  stored  in  our  hymn-books.  Shall 
veneration  for  a  name  prevent  the  repudiation  of  lyrics 
like  these  ?  Why  should  we  retain  such  provocatives 
to  the  sportive  curiosity  of  our  children?  But  it  is 
said  that  objectionable  couplets  and  stanzas  can  be 
eliminated.  This  is  true  in  many  cases ;  not  in  aU. 
Often,  not  always,  a  valuable  hymn  can  be  con- 
structed out  of  the  remnants,  after  a  process  of  expur- 
gation. 


I 


WANT  OF   UNITY  IN  A  HYMN.  113 

2.  But  this  suggests  a  second  principle,  which  must 
often  be  decisive  of  the  omission  of  a  hymn.  It  is  an 
objection  if  the  hymn  has  no  unity  of  character. 

A  concatenation  of  pious  lines  is  not  a  hymn. 
Often  the  result  of  the  process  of  selection  of  five  or 
six  stanzas  from  the  twenty  which  form  the  original,  is 
to  destroy  oneness  of  aim.  Each  select  couplet  in 
itself  may  be  poetic,  lyric,  devotional;  but  in  conjunc- 
tion, they  all  do  not  compose  one  strain  of  meditation 
or  of  worship.  They  are  not  progressive,  are  often 
refluent  in  thought,  sometimes  incoherent,  even  contra- 
dictory. 

Often  the  avoidance  of  these  evils  creates  another 
equally  fatal  to  the  usefulness  of  a  hymn,  that  of 
excessive  length.  Unity  and  reasonable  brevity  caKBot 
always  be  combined  in  one  of  these  fragmentary  lyrics. 
The  originals  of  some  of  our  standard  hymns  number 
twenty,  thirty,  even  forty  stanzas.  From  other  origi- 
nals, equally  valuable  hymns  might  be  culled,  if  the 
conflict  of  unity  with  brevity,  in  a  selection  from  them, 
were  not  an  insuperable  obstacle. 

The  iron  rule,  that  we  must  have  one  version,  or 
more,  of  every  inspired  psalm,  works  in  this  respect 
disastrously.  Literally  applied,  the  rule,  as  we  have 
seen,  is  an  impossible  one.  To  construct  a  tolerable 
modern  hymn  by  versions  of  certain  psalms,  we  must 
adopt  the  policy  of  Watts  and  others,  and  pick  up  the 
materials  of  the  hymn  here  and  there,  by  a  sort  of 
ricochet  movement  over  the  area  of  the  original.  Many 
of  our  so-called  versions  of  psalms  remind  one  who 
compares  them  with  the  inspired  text,  of  the  well- 
known  amusement  of  boys  with  slatestones  on  the 
margin  of  a  lake.     Such  versions  touch  the  originals 

10* 


114 


WANT   OF   CHARACTER  IN  HYMNS. 


at  points  only,  not  continuously.  Yet  the  result  of 
this  process  often  is,  not  only  the  loss  of  the  primary 
coherence  of  the  psalm,  but  the  failure  to  substitute  in 
its  place  any  principle  of  unity,  in  the  composite  fabric 
which  is  manufactured  out  of  the  fragments.  This 
defect  alone  is  sufficient  to  condemn  many  of  the 
ancient  versions,  the  whole  of  which  cannot  be  sung, 
and  the  remains  of  which  are  fit  only  for  respectful 
burial. 

3.  Unity  may  be  sometimes  preserved  in  a  hymn, 
and  yet  it  may  have  no  positive  character,  either  of 
merit  or  demerit. 

Many  of  the  accumulations  of  sacred  song  must 
pass  into  oblivion,  for  no  other  reason  than  their  want 
of  character.  Are  they  vicious  lyrics  ?  No.  Are  they 
false  in  sentiment  ?  No.  Are  they  violations  of  taste  ? 
No.  Are  they  of  unmusical  cadence?  No.  They 
only  have  no  positive  individuality.  Would  that  they 
were  'cold  or  hot.'!  We  can  give  no  reason  for  re- 
fusing them,  except  that  we  find  no  reason  for  accept- 
ing them.  Some  speciality  must  support  an  indifferent 
hymn.  It  must  be  upon  a  subject  on  which  better 
lyrics  are  not  extant,  or  it  must  have  historic  associa- 
tions which  we  cannot  part  with,  or  some  similar 
idiosyncrasy  must  outweigh  the  burden  of  its  dull, 
heavy,  lifeless  rhymes.  Diversity  of  opinion  will  of 
course  exist  respecting  the  application  of  this  criticism 
to  many  hymns;  but  we  are  unable  to  discern  any 
striking  excellence  in  such  as  the  following,  from 
Watts : 


"My  God,  and  is  thy  table  spread." 
"  Salvation  is  forever  nigh." 
"  To  God,  the  Great,  the  ever  blest." 
"  Forever  blessed  be  the  Lord." 


"  Lord,  what  was  man  when  made  at 

first." 
"  The  Lord  is  Judge ;  before  his  throne.." 
"  Blest  is  the  man,  forever  blest." 


RELATIVE  INFERIORITY   OF  HYMNS. 


115 


"  Blest  are  the  souls  who   hear   and 

know." 
"  Why  did  the  nations  join  to  slay." 
"  Now  Christ  ascends  on  high." 
"  There  is  a  God,  all  nature  speaks." 
•'Almighty  Ruler  of  the  skies." 
"As  when  in  silence  vernal  showers." 
"  Jesus  invites  his  saints." 


"  Thus  the  Eternal  Father  spake." 
'*  To  keep  the  lamp  alive." 
"  Forever  blessed  be  the  Lord." 
"  Straight    is    the    way,  the    door 

straight." 
"  The  Lord  descending  from  above.' 
"  Jesus  is  gone  above  the  skies." 


These,  and  a  multitude  like  them,  from  other  authors, 
are  good  enough  negatively ;  they  have  no  obtrusive 
defects  of  sentiment  or  form ;  individuals  may  have 
agreeable  associations  with  them  ;  but  they  belong  to 
a  class  of  lyrics  which  modern  hymnology  will  inevi- 
tably encroach  upon,  and  at  last  set  aside.  They  have 
not  merits  numerous  and  positive  enough  to  save  them. 

4.  A  hymn  not  destitute  of  positive  worth,  may  be 
fatally  inferior  to  others  of  its  class. 

Relative  inferiority  is  in  many  cases  so  great,  and  so 
obvious,  as  to  constitute  a  sufficient  reason  for  omis- 
sion. The  good  suffers  by  the  overshadowing  excel- 
lence of  the  better.  It  is  a  positive  evil  to  place  such 
selections  in  juxtaposition.  For  instance,  is  it  not  a 
waste  to  follow  Watts's  first  version  of  the  fifth  Psalm, 
—  "  Lord,  in  the  morning  thou  shalt  hear,"  —  with  one 
so  much  its  inferior  as  that  by  Goode,  "  Whene'er  the 
mornifig  rays  appear"?  Who  will  ever  sing  the  sec- 
ond, with  the  first  before  his  eyes  ? 

On  this  principle,  we  object  to  very  numerous  ver- 
sions of  the  same  Psalm,  unless,  like  Psalms  19,  51, 
139,  it  be  one  of  very  rare  quality,  and  aptness  to  mod- 
ern use.  Excepting  the  choicest  of  the  Psalms,  many 
versions  of  one  will  inevitably  ensure  such  inequality, 
as  to  doom  a  part  of  them  to  respectable  uselessness. 
Why  should  we  burden  a  collection  with  four,  six, 
eight  versions,  of  which  one-half  can  practically  be  of 


116 


RELATIVE  INFERIORITY  OF  HYMNS. 


no  other  service  than  that  of  illustrating,  by  contrast, 
the  quality  of  the  other  half?  As  the  accretions  of 
psalmody  multiply,  the  sufficient  reason  for  dropping 
one  after  another  of  the  good,  but  not  excellent,  old 
hymns,  must  be,  "  the  new  is  better." 

On  this  principle  we  should  exclude  even  the  best  of 
Watts's  didactic  versions  of  the  thirty-second  Psalm, 
and  such  other  selections  as  the  following : 


"  Lord,  if  thine  eyes  survey  our  faults." 
"  How  calm  and  beautiful  the  morn." 
"Thrice  happy  souls,  who    born    of 

heaven." 
"  Thy  mercy  heard  my  infant  prayer." 
"  Our  spirits  join  to  adore  the  Lamb." 
''  Kot  to  the  terrors  of  the  Lord." 
"  Beyond  where  Cedron's  water  flows." 
"Jesus  comes,  his  conflict  over." 
"  Methinks  the  last  great  day  is  come." 
"  O  Lord,  how  many  are  my  foes." 
"  Lord,  1  can  suffer  thy  rebukes." 
"  The  tempter  to  my  soul  hath  said." 
•'  My  God,  how  many  are  my  fears." 
"  O  God  of  grace  and  righteousness." 
"  Whene'er  the  morning  rays  appear." 
"  Come  tune,  ye  saints,  your  noblest 

strains." 


"  My  trust  is  in  my  heavenly  Friend." 
"  O  Lord,  our  Lord,  in  power  divine." 
"  Father  of  all,  to  Thee  we  bow." 
"  O  Lord,  the  Saviour  and  defence." 
"  Return,  O  God  of  love,  return." 
"  And  let  this  feeble  body  fail." 
"  Lord,  I  commit  my  soul  to  Thee. 
"  Angels,  roll  the  rock  away." 
"  The  Lord  will  come  and  not  be  slow." 
"  Lo,  I  behold  the  scattering  shades." 
"  From  every  stormy  wind  that  blows." 
"  Lo,  He  comes,  with  clouds  descend- 
ing." 
"  O  God  of  mercy,  hear  my  call." 
"  To  God  the  Great,  the  over  blest." 
"  Away  from  every  mortal  care." 
"  O  Zion,  tune  thy  voice." 
"  How  swift  the  torrent  rolls." 


These  are  by  no  means  worthless  productions.  Some 
of  them  have  sterling  merits.  But  our  hymnology  is 
rich  in  its  resources  on  the  subjects  which  these  hymns 
represent.  We  have,  therefore,  others  of  kindred  spirit, 
serving  the  same  purpose  in  the  liturgy  of  song,  which 
are  superior  to  these,  and  are  so  numerous  that  these 
would  be  well-nigh  useless  by  the  side  of  them.  The 
large  majority  of  the  changes  which  time  necessitates 
in  our  public  psalmody,  are  of  this  kind,  —  exchanges 
not  of  the  bad  for  the  good,  but  of  the  good  for  the 
better.     Of  the  fact  and  the  degree  of  improvement, 


UNNECESSARY  HYMNS.  IIT 

of  course  there  will  be  diversity  of  judgment.  Every 
new  compilation  must  speak  for  itself,  and  then  accept 
the  verdict  of  the  general  response. 

5.  Other  things  being  equal,  a  hymn  is  objectionable 
in  proportion  to  the  necessary  restrictions  upon  its  use. 

A  hymn  which  can  be  rarely  used,  must  be  one  of 
rare  merit,  or  be  upon  a  theme  on  which  a  hymn  is 
sometimes  a  rare  treasure,  in  order  to  entitle  it  to  a 
place  in  a  manual  of  psalmody.  The  policy  of  con- 
tracting the  number  of  occasional  hymns  in  such  a 
manual,  will  exclude  many  selections,  for  no  other 
reason  than  that  they  are  not  needed.  Of  thirty  odes 
on  Liberty,  for  instance,  it  may  justly  be  a  foregone 
conclusion,  that  but  two  or  three  should  be  admitted. 
Of  four  versions  of  a  Psalm  on  Sickness,  it  may  be 
fairly  presumed  that  but  one  is  necessary.  Variety, 
exuberance,  even  redundance,  of  material  may  be  tol- 
erated upon  a  theme  central  to  evangelical  experience, 
like  the  doctrine  of  Christ  crucified  ;  and  if  any  leeway 
is  to  be  allowed  for  hymns  of  moderate  worth,  it  should 
be  around  such  a  centre  of  Christian  thought.  The 
subject  will  sustain  a  hymn  which  in  turn  is  unequal 
to  the  dignity  of  the  subject.  Multitudes  of  hymns 
upon  occasions,  and  upon  topics  of  infrequent  use,  may 
be  in  itself  an  evil.  It  may  serve  to  divert  attention 
from  the  standard  themes  and  hymns  which  are  more 
impressive /or  such  occasional  uses.  It  may  thus  cul- 
tivate an  unchastened,  even  a  vitiated  taste,  in  the 
service  of  song. 

On  this  principle,  we  would  omit  from  a  collection 
designed  for  public  worship,  the  following  hymns, 
among  others  : 


V 


118 


POETIC    LICENSE    WITH    THE    SCRIPTURES. 


"  Great  Lord  of  angels,  we  adore." 
"  Speak  gently,  it  is  better  far." 
"  O  pure  reformers  I  not  in  vain." 
"  Oh,  he  wliom  Jesus  loved  has  truly 

spoken." 
"  Spirit,  leave  thy  house  of  clay." 
"  Were  not  the  sinful  Mary's  tears." 
"  Eternal  Source  of  every  joy." 


"  God  made  all  his  creatures  free." 

"  In  anger,  Lord,  rebuke  me  not." 

"  In  mercy,  not  in  vs^rath,  rebuke." 

"  Hush!  my  dear,  lie  still  and  slumber." 

"  We  are  living,  we  are  dwelling." 

"  Who  is  thy  neighbor?" 

"  Go  to  the  pilow  of  disease." 


These  represent  a  large  class  of  sacred  poems,  of 
which  none  are  necessary,  many  are  rarely  pertinent, 
and  some  never  so,  to  the  liturgy  of  praise.  Why 
should  the  bulk  of  a  volume  intended  for  service  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord,  be  expanded  by  such  a  supplement  ? 

6.  The  decisive  consideration  adverse  to  a  rejected 
hymn  often  is,  some  infelicity  in  its  relation  to  the  bibli- 
cal passage  of  which  it  professes  to  be  a  version. 

Poets  of  the  sanctuary  have  practised  every  variety 
of  license  in  attaching  their  productions  to  inspired 
originals.  At  the  two  extremes  stand  paraphrases  and 
motto  hymns.  Between  these,  we  find  odes  of  mosaic 
structure.  They  are  composed  of  fragments  of  bibli- 
cal thought  and  diction  gathered  here  and  there,  with 
little  or  no  regard  to  the  order  of  inspired  composition  ; 
or  they  are  such  fragments  intermingled  with  uninspired 
material.  These  metrical  nondescripts  are,  by  courtesy, 
denominated  "  versions  "  of  the  Scriptures.  But  it  is 
evident  that  very  marked  diversities,  must  distinguish 
them  from  paraphrases,  in  respect  of  fidelity  to  their 
professed  originals. 

On  the  one  hand,  the  biblical  likeness  in  a  metrical 
paraphrase  may  be  so  striking,  and  at  the  same  time 
so  spiritual,  as  to  constitute  its  chief  excellence.  This 
virtue  may  buoy  up  an  ode  which  is  burdened  by 
mediocrity  of  lyric  merit.  On  the  other  hand,  interpo- 
lated material,  or  inconsecutive  selections,  may  weigh 


INTERPOLATIONS   IN   "  PSALMS."  119 

down  a  "  version "  so  heavily  as  to  sink  it,  if  it  be  not 
sustained  by  singular  worth  in  other  respects.  Judged 
as  a  "hymn,"  it  may  or  may  not  be  deserving;  but 
judged  as  a  "psalm,"  it  may  be  literally  good  for 
nothing. 

Here,  again,  that  canon  of  psalmody  which  exacts 
rigidly  the  representation  of  every  inspired  psalm  in  a 
hymn-book  for  liturgic  use,  leads  to  deceptive  results. 
Many  of  the  psalms  have  no  such  representatives  in 
any  hymn-book.  So-called  "  versions  "  of  them  are  in- 
serted for  no  other  reason  than  the  supposed  inspira- 
tion of  their  parentage,  when  in  fact  portions  of  them 
are  interpolated,  and  other  portions  are  so  abstracted 
from  their  inspired  connections,  that  there  is  no  Spirit 
left  in  them.  Why  should  an  inferior  hymn,  which, 
as  a  hymn,  would  be  doomed,  be  retained  because  it 
professes  to  be  a  "  psalm,"  when  in  fact  it  is  not  only 
not  a  paraphrase,  but  is  not  even  an  imitation  of  a 
psalm  ? 

For  example,  Watts's  version  of  Psalm  4,  L.  M.,  — 
"  O  God  of  grace  and  righteousness,"  —  so  far  as  it  is 
"  evangelized "  by  such  lines  as,  "And  dare  reproach 
my  Saviour's  name,"  and  "  For  the  dear  sake  of  Christ 
who  died,"  has  not  a  word  in  the  original  to  sustain 
its  claim  as  a  version  of  the  Psalm.  Watts's  second 
version  of  Psalm  90,  C.  M., — "  Lord,  if  thine  eyes  sur- 
vey our  faults,"  —  besides  shuffling  the  verses  of  the 
original  into  an  uninspired  order  of  thought,  contains, 
in  the  second  stanza,  absolutely  interpolated  material. 

"  Tliine  anger  turns  our  frame  to  dust : 
By  one  offence  to  Thee 
Adam  and  all  his  sons  have  lost 
Their  immortality." 


120  CHANGE    OF   THEME   IN  "  PSALMS." 

The  lines  italicized  have  not  a  shadow  of  foundation 
in  the  original.  Watts's  third  version  of  the  same 
Psalm  —  "  Return,  O  God  of  love,  return" — is  an  excur- 
sus from  the  inspired  line  of  thought,  throughout.  It 
comes  from  his  pen  a  hymn  on  Heaven,  of  which 
not  a  vestige  appears  in  the  original  prayer  of  Moses. 
Watts's  second  version  of  Psalm  85  —  '*  Salvation  is  for- 
ever nigh  "  —  is  a  similar  episode  on  the  work  of  Christ, 
to  whom  not  the  remotest  allusion  occurs  in  the  in- 
spired text. 

Now,  we  do  not  object  to  the  principle  on  which 
these  changes  are  founded.  We  believe  that  no  other 
is  adequate  to  adapt  many  of  the  Psalms  to  modern 
thought.  There  is  good  taste,  and  good  sense,  in  the 
liberty  which  Watts  assumed  of  composing  a  hymn  as 
he  was  "  persuaded  the  Psalmist  would  have  done,  in 
the  time  of  Christianity,"  or  as  Paul  would  have  done, 
"had  he  written  a  psalm-book."  We  admire  the  artless, 
yet  reverent  courage,  with  which  this  father  of  English 
hymnology  so  often  takes  a  poet's  liberty,  by  "  giving 
to  a  psalm,"  as  he  says, "  another  turnP  Indeed  a  suf- 
ficient reason  for  the  rejection  of  many  versions  of 
psalms,  is  their  mechanical  fidelity  to  the  letter  of  the 
text,  like  that  of  an  exact  version  of  Psalm  60 : 8  — 
"  Moab  is  my  wash  pot ;  over  Edom  will  I  cast  out 
my  shoe." 

But  when  a  modern  poet  takes  this  license  with  an 
inspired  production,  the  claim  of  his  production  is  very 
materially  modified.  The  foundation  of  that  claim  is 
shifted.  That  it  is  called  a  version  of  the  Scriptures 
may  be  its  least  virtue.  It  may  justly  be  required  to 
fall  back  from  inspired  support,  upon  its  own  intrinsic 
merits    as  an  uninspired  ode.      When  the   ninetieth 


J 


DEGRADING   BIBLICAL   ORIGINALS.  121 

Psalm,  for  instance,  is  transformed  into  a  lyric  on 
Heaven,  the  question  of  its  admission  into  a  manual 
of  psalmody  is  no  longer  a  question  respecting  a  ver- 
sion of  the  Psalm  :  it  is  simply,  whether  we  have  not 
other,  and  numerous,  hymns  on  Heaven  which  are  its 
superiors  ? 

Furthermore,  a  version  of  a  biblical  passage  may  be 
impressive  in  thought,  and  not  barbarous  in  diction, 
and  yet  it  may  fall  so  far  below  the  original,  as  to 
degrade  the  original  by  the  association.  Certain  para- 
graphs of  the  Scriptures  are  inimitable  by  an  unin- 
spired muse.  The  attempt  to  translate  them  into  . 
modern  song  is  perilous.  Some  of  them  crowd  expres-  I 
sion  to  the  very  verge  of  decorous  imagery.  They  have 
even  been  thought  to  overstep  the  boundary,  in  the 
view  of  Occidental  taste.  Hence  the  failure  of  Watts 
in  so  many  of  his  versions  from  the  Song  of  Solomon. 
Other  Scriptures  are  inimitably  sublime,  and  a  remote 
approach  to  them,  in  English  verse,  falls  flat.  A  single 
infelicitous  word  in  such  a  version,  may  remind  on^ 
of  the  first  verse  of  the  tenth  chapter  of  Ecclesiastes. 

For  example,  Watts's  version  of  Psalm  90,  S.  M., 
is  the  favorite  hymn  of  many,  upon  the  Frailty  of 
Life.  But  who  can  read  or  chant  the  original  —  "  Thou 
carriest  them  away  as  with  a  flood  :  they  are  as  a 
sleep  :  In  the  morning  they  are  like  grass  which  grow- 
eth  up  :  in  the  morning  it  flourisheth  and  groweth  up  ; 
in  the  evening  it  is  cut  down  and  withereth"  —  and 
then  sing,  without  stammering  — 

"  Lord,  what  a  feeble  piece 
Is  this,  our  mortal  frame  ? 
Our  life,  how  poor  a  trifle  'tis 
That  scarce  deserves  the  name  ! "  ? 
11 


( 


122  SUBJECTION   or  WORSHIP   IN   HYMNS. 

How  can  the  spirit  of  worship  pass  from  the  subdued 
prayer  of  Moses —  "  So  teach  us  to  number  our  days, 
that  we  may  apply  our  hearts  unto  wisdom"  —  to  the 
colloquial  remark  of  Watts  — 

"  Well^  if  our  days  must  fly, 

We  '11  keep  their  end  in  sight."  ? 

Such  descents  as  these,  are  like  the  fall  of  the  Son  of 
the  Morning. 

7.  Other  things  being  equal,  a  hymn  is  defective  in 
proportion  to  the  prevalence  of  other  than  the  forms  of 
worship  in  its  style.  Didactic,  descriptive,  dramatic, 
meditative,  hortatory,  and  comminatory  hymns,  must 
possess  superior  virtues  in  other  respects,  to  outweigh 
the  evil  of  the  preponderance  of  these  elements  in 
their  structure.  Multitude  of  such  materials  in  a 
manual  of  psalmody,  is  in  itself  an  evil.  It  invites  to 
prosaic  song,  or  to  soliloquy,  or  to  colloquy  with  men, 
rather  than  to  communion  with  God.  The  personality, 
the  presence,  the  friendship  of  the  Deity,  are  realized 
to  the  worshipper  most  vividly,  by  services  of  song  in 
which  habitually  he  addresses  God  in  the  dialect  of 
homage.  That  is  a  misuse  of  the  church-song,  which 
would  generally  subject  it  to  the  convenience  of  the 
pulpit.  The  aid  which  it  renders  to  homiletic  uses,  is 
one  of  its  incidents  only.  A  very  large  number  of 
lyrics,  therefore,  must  be  excluded  from  our  hymn-books, 
chiefly  for  the  sake  of  preserving  the  ascendency  of  the 
spirit  of  worship  in  their  proportions.  On  this  princi- 
ple, we  would  check  their  overgrowth,  by  the  rejection 
of  the  following  hymns,  among  others : 


TRAGIC  HYMNS — ANALYTIC   HYMNS. 


123 


"  Blest  are  the  souls  who    hear    and 

know." 
"Thus  the  eternal  Father  spake." 
"  Love,  love  on  earth  appaars." 
"Thus  the  great   Lord  of  earth  and 

sea." 
"  Now  the  Saviour  standeth  pleading." 
"  Tell  us,  wanderer,  wildly  roving." 
"  Drooping  souls,  no  longer  mourn." 
"  Dying  souls,  fast  bound  in  sin." 
"  When  the  harvest  is  past,  and  the 

summer  is  gone." 


"  Stop,  poor  sinner,  stop  and  think." 

"  Sinner,  hear  the  Saviour's  call." 

"  Oh,  blessed  souls  are  they." 

"  Happy  the  man  to  whom  his  God." 

"The  Almighty  reigns,  exalted  high." 

"  Happy  soul,  thy  days  are  ended." 

"  Just  o'er  the  grave  I  hung." 

"  Beyond  the  starry  skies." 

"  Jesus  comes,  his  conflict  over." 

"  Blest  is  the  man,  forever  blest." 

"  The  man  is  ever  blest." 

"  Happy  the  man  whose  cautious  feet. 


We  would  have  a  choice  selection,  rather  than  a  mul- 
tiplicity of  such  odes,  purposely  to  restrict  the  induce- 
ments to  the  excessive  use  of  them,  and  thus  to  facili- 
tate the  ascendency  of  luorship  in  the  temple  service. 

8.  It  is  an  objection  to  a  hymn,  if  it  is  deficient  either 
in  dignity^  or  in  solemnity^  or  in  sympathy,  on  the  tragic 
themes  of  song.  No  lyric  virtue,  which  can  consist  with 
this  class  of  defects,  can  atone  for  them. 

On  this  principle,  we  would  refuse  the  Judgment 
hymn, —  "  Oh  !  there  will  be  mourning," — and  Watts's  . 
hymn  on  the  Death  of  a  Sinner,  -^ —  "  My  thoughts  on 
awful  subjects  roll," —  and  the  entire  class  of  lyrics  in 
which  poetry  seems  to  luxuriate  in  images  of  terror,  as 
the  machinery  of  operatic  effect.  No  other  hymns 
have  so  little  of  salutary  impressiveness  as  these.  No 
others  are  so  often  parodied  by  callous  hearers  whom 
they  are  designed  to  arouse. 

9.  A  certain  class  of  lyrics  are  objectionable,  chiefly 
on  account  of  an  excess  of  the  analytic  element.  Se- 
vere analysis  is  unnatural  in  song.  The  themes  of 
psalmody,  especially,  invite  free,  soaring  strains.  One 
of  the  perils  of  didactic  hymns  is,  the  facility  with 
which  they  subside  from  the  buoyancy  of  devotional 
musing,  to  the  prosiness  of  analytic  thought.     Some 


124  INCONGRUITY   OF  FORM  WITH   SUBSTANCE. 

subjects,  like  Regeneration,  or  the  Decrees  of  God, 
may  admit  of  a  degree  of  this  element;  but  even  in 
such  hymns,  it  needs  to  be  sustained  by  qualities  which 
are  its  direct  opposites.  It  is  a  quality  which  never 
sustains  itself  in  a  song  of  praise.  Other  subjects 
positively  reject  it;  the  hegirt  refuses  to  sing  upon 
them  philosophically. 

A  representative  of  a  class  of  poems  which  should 
be  rejected  on  this  ground,  is  the  hymn  of  Newton  on 
the  Sainted  Dead ; 

"  In  vain  our  fancy  strives  to  paint 
The  moment  after  death." 

Song  does  not,  naturally,  even  "  strive "  to  do  any 
such  thing.  It  imitates  the  poetic  silence  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. It  carols  forth  its  visions  of  the  state  of  de- 
parted saints,  impulsively,  unmethodically,  most  of  all, 
unchronologically.  Often  it  seems  capricious  in  its 
hints  of  truths,  which  yet  would  scarcely  be  truths,  if 
they  were  more  than  hints.  More  than  these,  eye  hath 
not  seen,  nor  ear  heard. 

10.  A  hymn  must  often  be  rejected  for  the  want  of 
congruity  between  its  sentiment  and  its  style  or  metre. 
The  spirit  of  sacred  song  is  delicate,  yet  imperative  in 
its  instincts.  It  revolts  from  inaptitudes  of  form  to 
substance,  however  vivaciously  they  are  displayed.  An 
eccentric  diction,  or  a  fantastic  measure,  is  as  offensive 
in  temple  worship,  as  a  funereal  measure  in  a  dance. 
Any  violence  committed  by  style  or  rythmical  struc- 
ture, upon  the  proprieties  of  time,  place,  circumstance, 
occasion,  is  resented  by  a  healthy  lyric  taste,  as  un- 
seemly and  undevout,  even  though  it  be  in  elaborate 
artistic  forms. 


THEATRICAL   TASTE   IN   HYMNS.  125 

That  is   a  theatrical   taste,  which   can   exhort   the 
ungodly  in  such  a  strain  of  amphibrachs  as  — 

"  Oh,  turn  ye !  |  Oh,  turn  ye !  |  for  why  will  ]  ye  die." 

"  Come  give  us  |  your  hand,  and  |  the  ^Sariour  |  your  heart" 

or  in  words  in  which  thought  is  so  artificially  subor- 
dinated to  both  rythra  and  rhyme,  as  in  the  lines  — 

"  Sinner,  \  come,  \  'mid  thy  |  gloomy 
All  thy  I  guilt  con  |  fessvag  ; 
TrembWvig  \  now,  |  contrite  ]  how. 
Take  the  |  o/fered  |  hlessmg." 

It  surely  is  not  desirable  to  cultivate  a  taste  for  such 
rollicking  lyrics  as  the  following,  in  church-song : 

"  We  're  travelling  home  to  heaven  above  — 

AVill  you  go  ? 
To  sing  the  Saviour's  dying  love  — 

AVill  you  go  ? 
IMillions  have  reached  that  blest  abode, 
Anointed  kings  and  priests  to  God, 
And  millions  more  are  on  the  road  — 

Will  you  go  ? 

Oh  !  could  I  hear  some  sinner  say : 

'  I  will  go ; 
I  '11  start  this  moment,  clear  the  way  !  — 

Let  me  go ! 
My  old  companions,  fare  you  well, 
I  will  not  go  with  you  to  hell ; 
With  Jesus  Christ  I  mean  to  dwell,  — 
Let  me  go ;  fare  you  well.'  " 

What  is  this  ?     Is  it  designed  for  a  congregation  of 
circus-riders  ?     Has  it,  either  in  style  or  measure,  that 

ir 


126  HYMN   BY   TOPLADY. 

congruity  with  its  sentiment,  which  ought  to  breathe 
through  every  line  of  a  sanctuary  hymn  ?  We  have 
heard  college  glees,  and  convivial  songs,  which  were 
less  dissonant  from  a  church-like  tone. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  more  important  principles, 
affecting  the  omission  of  hymns  from  a  manual  de- 
signed for  public  worship.  Diversities  of  opinion 
respecting  their  application  are  inevitable ;  but  there 
can  be  none,  we  think,  respecting  the  principles  them- 
selves. A  judicious  and  candid  application  of  them, 
must  diminish  very  much  the  "  disputed  territory"  of 
hymnology. 

Omissions  from  church-psalmody,  which  excite  the 
surprise  of  many,  are  often  required  by  a  combinor 
tion  of  several  of  these  laws  of  song.  Even  brilUant 
and  forceful  poems  may  be  open  to  so  many  of  the 
objections  we  have  enumerated,  that,  with  aU  their 
virtues,  they  must  pass  out  of  our  hymn-books  for 
public  praise,  and  remain  in  collections  of  devo- 
tional poetry  for  private  meditation.  We  have  not 
space  to  illustrate  this  by  numerous  examples.  Two 
must  suffice. 

We  select  for  the  first,  one  of  the  most  warmly  con- 
tested poems  in  the  language,  —  contested  as  a  hymn, 
yet  one  whose  sterling  poetic  merits  are  above  dispute. 
It  has  been  well  pronounced  "  that  incomparable  death- 
song,  by  Toplady," — "  Deathless  principle,  arise ! "  This 
is  a  lively,  fervid,  impulsive,  bold,  brilliant  l3rric.  It 
merits  a  high  place  in  every  collection  of  sacred  poems 
for  private  reading.  Still,  it  should  be  omitted  from  a 
collection  of  hymns  for  public  song. 

A  comprehensive  reason  for  its  omission  is,  that  its 


"  THE   DYING   CHRISTIAN   TO   HIS    SOUL."  127 

place  can  be  easily  supplied  by  better  hymns  for  song 
upon  the  Death  of  a  Christian.  On  this  theme  our 
hymnology  is  fertile.  Again,  the  hymn  cannot  be  suf- 
ficiently abbreviated  to  be  sung,  without  mutilation 
of  its  vital  parts.  It  is  too  long  for  use,  even  when 
reduced,  as  we  commonly  find  it,  to  four  double  stan- 
zas. On  such  a  theme  we  are  not  incKned  to  sing  a 
protracted  series  of  vivid,  stuTing  verses.  If  the  lines 
be  stimulating,  rousing,  we  require  that  they  be  few. 
Yet,  to  abridge  this  hymn  sufficiently,  would  destroy 
its  unity. 

Furthermore,  the  hymn  has  a  rythmical  structure, 
which  is  not  happily  adapted  to  the  occasions  on  which 
it  would  be  used,  if  used  at  all.  These  are  the  occa- 
sions on  which  the  mind  is  most  intimately  conversant 
with  death,  and  when,  therefore,  it  demands  the  most 
dignified  and  solemn  measure  in  the  stanzas  that  are 
set  to  music.  But  the  metre  of  this  hymn  is  neither 
solemn  nor  dignified,  as  compared  with  the  Long, 
Common,  or  even  Short  metres.  The  foot,  also,  which 
prevails  in  the  hymn  is  the  Trochee,  and  this  is  less 
elevated  and  subduing  than  the  Iambus.  Let  any 
one  contrast  a  song  composed  of  such  lines  as  this  : 

'-'' Swift  of  I  wing  and  |  Jired  with  |  love" 

with  a  song  composed  of  lines  like  the  following — 

"  Sweet  Jields  \  beyond  |  the  stcell  \  mgjlood" 

and    he  will  feel  the  superior  majesty  of  the  Iambic 
over  the  Trochaic  verse. 

If  we  could  find  no  better  hymn,  we  would,  of 
course,  adopt  one  of  the  Trochaic  measure,  for  express- 


128  HYMN   BY   TOPLADY. 

ing,  with  music,  the  emotions  of  a  believer  in  view  of 
death.  But  we  could  not  help  regarding  the  structure 
of  the  hymn  as  inapposite  to  the  imposing  scenes  which 
called  it  forth.  "  The  Trochaic  metre,"  says  Aristotle, 
"  is  too  tripping,  and  all  tetrameters  show  it ;  for  tetra- 
meters are  a  kind  of  dancing  rythm."'  "The  Iambus," 
says  Dr.  Campbell,  "  is  expressive  of  dignity  and  gran- 
deur ;  the  Trochee,  on  the  contrary,  according  to  Aris- 
totle, is  frolicsome  and  gay."^ 

As  the  measure  of  the  words,  so  the  splendor  and 
quick  succession  of  the  images  in  this  hymn,  are  not 
expressively  becoming  to  the  scene  of  a  Christian's 
death.  In  the  very  hour  of  the  souPs  departure,  it  is 
not  natural  to  multiply,  in  such  a  rapid  and  even  vehe- 
ment  course   of    song,   such   brilliant  images    as  the 

*  native  of  the   skies,'  'rising,'    'soaring,'    'mounting,' 

*  flying,'  '  fearless,'  the  '  pearl,'  '  bought,'  '  wrought,' '  go- 
ing to  shine  before  the  throne,'  to  '  deck  the  crown,' 
'angels  hovering,'  'bending,'  'waiting  for  the  signal,' 
and  then  'quick  escorting,'  the  'deathless  principle,' 
'  bursting  its  shackles,'  '  dropping  its  clay,'  '  breathing,' 
'singing,'  'swift  of  wing,'  'passing  the  stream,'  whose 
'tossing  is  stilled,'  and  'roar  hushed'  by  'dying  love 
and  power;'  passing  through  'shade,'  'waited  for  by 
saints,'  who  are  'ardent,'  and  'thronging  the  shore,' 
etc.,  etc.  More  repose  is  requisite  for  the  singing  of 
a  prolonged  death-song.  If  intensity  of  triumph  char- 
acterize the  hymn,  it  must  be  brief,  like  the  sudden 
shout,  '  O  Death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  O  Grave,  where 
is  thy  victory  ? ' 

This  unnaturalness  is  augmented  by  the  fact,  that 

1  Aristotle's  Rhetoric,  B.  III.,  c.  viii.  §  4. 
'  Campbell's  Rhetoric,  B.  III.,  c.  i. 


"  THE  DYING   CHRISTIAN  TO   HIS   SOUL."  129 

the  hymn  is  an  exhortation  to  one's  self.  A  hortatory 
song  is  less  apt  than  a  supplicatory  one,  at  the  moment 
of  departure  from  the  world.  Still  further,  the  hymn 
is  objectionable  for  the  minute  particularity  of  its 
reference.  Scarcely  can  an  occasional  hymn  be  more 
restricted  in  its  use  than  this.  It  is  an  address  of 
"  The  Dying  Believer  to  his  Soul."  When,  and  where, 
shall  it  be  sung?  At  the  couch  of  the  departing  saint? 
Is  the  Christian,  in  the  near  view  of  death,  often  dis- 
posed to  hear  the  appropriate  music  for  such  an  ener- 
getic, trumpet-toned  exhortation  ?  Shall  it  be  sung  in 
the  temple  ?  Can  other  than  an  imaginary  conjunc- 
tion of  circumstances  render  it  opportune  there  ? 

These  queries  suggest,  that  in  fact  this  hymn  will 
be  used  very  seldom,  if  ever,  with  a  musical  accom- 
paniment. It  was  published  in  the  year  1776  ;  but  it 
has  not  yet  been  introduced  into  many  hymn-books, 
and  has  not  been  often  used  with  music,  even  when  it 
has  been  readily  accessible.  The  experience  of  the 
last  eighty  years  has  confirmed  the  judgment  of  Mont- 
gomery, who  said  of  this  hymn,  a  half  century  after  it 
was  written :  "  [It]  is  scarcely  suitable  to  be  sung ;  but 
it  may  be  uttered  by  the  '  dying  Christian  to  his  soul,* 
with  a  joy  which  he  alone  can  feel,  and  feel  only  at 
the  height,  in  the  last  moment  of  time,  and  the  first  of 
eternity."^  It  is  a  lyric  to  be  read^  at  the  hour,  or, 
more  properly,  in  the  vivid  imagination  of  the  hour, 
when  an  earnest  Christian  rises  in  triumph  to  the  skies. 

The  second  example  which  we  select,  of  hymns  that 
violate  many  of  the  principles  of  a  sound  hymnology, 
is  the  well-known    and   much-disputed   imitation  of 

*  Montgomery's  "  Christian  Psalmist,"  Introductory  Essay,  page  xxvii. 


130  PSALM  BY  DR.   WATTS: 

Psalm  Fifty-eight,  by  Dr.  Watts,  —  "  Judges,  who  rule 
the  world  by  laws." 

This,  also,  is  a  bold,  spirited  poem,  whose  loftiness 
of  sentiment  and  diction  is  worthy  of  the  stern,  com- 
minatory,  imprecatory,  prophetic  original.  We  can 
easily  imagine  that,  as  abbreviated  and  altered  in  some 
collections  of  psalmody,  and  delivered  well  from  the 
pulpit,  after  the  enactment  of  a  fugitive  slave  law,  it 
should  ring  in  the  ears  of  a  congregation,  like  the 
voice  of  an  old  prophet  risen  from  the  dead.  Still,  it 
is  not  a  good  liturgic  hymn. 

In  the  first  place,  nearly  one  half  of  it,  as  reduced  in 
several  modern  hymn-books,  is  no  '•^versiorC^  of  the 
original  psalm.  The  larger  part  of  the  first  two  stan- 
zas is  an  interpolation.  This  we  do  not  regard  as  a 
conclusive  objection ;  but  so  far  as  the  hymn  is  not  a 
"  version,"  it  is  to  be  judged  upon  its  own  merits,  with 
no  reference  to  the  authority  of  inspiration ;  and  we 
venture  to  believe  that,  if  the  interpolated  lines  were 
absent,  the  remainder  would  find  no  place  in  any 
manual  designed  for  public  worship,  except  one  sa- 
credly conservative  of  "  Watts  entire." 

It  is  also  a  significant  comment  on  the  hymn,  that 
the  most  vivid  stanzas  of  the  whole,  and  those  which 
are  most  strikingly  faithful  to  the  original,  are  omitted 
from  the  most  popular  constructions,  and,  may  we  not 
say,  are  never  sung  in  a  public  assembly.  Who  has 
ever  heard,  from  congregation  or  choir,  the  following 
lines  ?  — 

A  poisoned  arrow  is  your  tongue, 

The  arrow  sharp,  the  poison  strong, 
And  death  attends  where'er  it  wounds : 

You  hear  no  counsels,  cries,  or  tears ; 

So  the  deaf  adder  stops  her  ears 
Against  the  power  of  charming  sounds. 


"warning  to  magistrates."  131 

Break  out  their  teeth,  Eternal  God  ; 
Those  teeth  of  lions  dyed  in  blood  ! 

And  crush  the  serpents  in  the  dust ! 
******* 

Or  snails  that  perish  in  their  sHme, 
Or  births  that  come  before  their  time, — 
Yain  births,  that  never  see  the  sun." 

We  do  not  find  these  lines  in  the  abbreviated  forms 
of  the  hymn.  Why  not?  They  are  the  most  pun- 
gent fragments  in  the  whole  production,  and  the  most 
intensely  suggestive  of  the  original.  The  reason  for 
their  rejection  is  obvious,  and  we  think  it  is  unanswera- 
ble. But  it  excites  the  inquiry,  whether  the  psalm 
itself  has  not  a  radical  unfitness  to  modern  liturgic 
use?  Otherwise,  why  must  so  large  and  so  emphatic 
portions  of  it  be  eliminated,  and  a  nearly  equal  amount 
be  interpolated,  to  adapt  it  to  modern  worship  ? 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  hymn  is  objectionable  for  its 
very  restricted  usefulness.  Assuming  the  intrinsic  m.erit 
of  the  select  stanzas,  how  often  can  they  be  appropri- 
ately sung  by  an  assembly  of  worshippers?  When 
are  they  needed?  Divest  them,  for  the  moment,  of 
imaginary  uses;  bring  them  down  to  the  test  of  the 
wants  of  men,  women,  and  children  congregated  for 
the  worship  of  the  Most  High ;  —  and  when,  where, 
under  what  circumstances,  is  the  hymn  necessary  ?  It  \ 
is  a  malediction  against  ungodly  rulers.  How  many 
such,  have  the  majority  of  pastors  in  their  congrega- 
tions ?  How  often  is  it  wise  to  exhort  them  in  impre- 
catory song  ?  Or,  assuming  that  the  hortatory  form  is 
apostrophic,  and  that  the  hymn  is  an  indulgence  of  the 
"righteous  indignation"  of  worshippers  against  absent 
culprits,  how  often  will  a  wise  pastor  deem  such  a 
strain  needful  to  the  devotions  of  a  people  ? 


\ 

\ 


132  PSALM  BY  DRo   WATTS. 

These  practical  queries,  which  bring  this  poem  to  the 
test  of  real  life,  must  cause  the  range  of  its  liturgic 
usefulness,  we  think,  to  "  grow  beautifully  less,"  in  the 
judgment  of  sober  criticism.  With  large  assumptions 
in  vindication  of  the  hymn,  it  still  must  be  doomed  to 
comparative  desuetude.  Its  use  must  be  not  only 
occasional,  but  exceptional.  It  belongs,  upon  the  most 
favorable  hypothesis,  to  the  extreme  wing  of  occasional 
hymns. 

Moreover,  this  is  not  a  hymn  of  ivorship.  As 
abridged,  it  contains  not  a  line  of  praise  or  prayer.  It 
is  didactic,  descriptive,  hortatory,  menacing.  The  only 
communion  with  God  expressed  by  the  original  Psalm 
is  in  the  terrific  imprecations,  which  are  scarcely  ex- 
ceeded elsewhere  in  the  Scriptures,  and  which  modern 
song,  we  venture  to  assume,  always  omits  in  the  use 
of  this  hymn.  These  omitted,  the  relics  of  the  Psalm 
contain  almost  every  form  of  hymnologic  diction  which 
is  not  devotional.  True,  this  absence  of  the  liturgic 
element  is  not  in  itself  fatal  to  the  claims  of  a  hymn. 
But  ivith  the  presence  of  the  other  elements  we  have 
indicated,  it  creates  a  strong  adverse  presumption. 
That  a  hymn  is  didactic  and  descriptive,  and  hortatory, 
and  comminatory,  and  yet  not^  in  any  part  of  it,  preca- 
tive,  lays  upon  it  a  very  heavy  burden  of  proof,  in  the 
assertion  of  its  claims  to  a  place  in  a  manual  for 
public  worship. 

We  must  believe  that  the  hymn  in  question  is  one 
of  the  eloquent  poems,  in  the  use  of  which  the  service 
of  the  pulpit  lords  it  over  the  service  of  song.  It 
reads  well  —  grandly.  It  backs  up  a  sermon  of  rebuke, 
valiantly.  It  falls  like  a  sledge-hammer,  from  the 
uplifted  voice  of   a  preacher.     We  can  conceive  of 


133 


circumstances,  in  which  its  rehearsal  should  seem  to 
bring  inspired  indignation  to  the  relief  of  a  speaker, 
like  one  of  twelve  legions  of  angels.  But  the  singing 
of  it,  the  worship  of  God  with  it,  the  blending  of  the 
voices  of  young  men  and  maidens,  of  old  men  and 
children,  in  devotional  recitative  of  such  strains,  with 
becoming  music  —  is  altogether  another  afi'air. 

Yet,  is  it  not  an  inspired  psalm  ?  Very  true ;  and 
this  suggests  what  we  regard  as  the  crowning  objection 
to  the  hymn,  that  it  is  incongruous  with  those  occasions 
on  luhich  it  would  he  used^  if  used  at  all.  The  same 
principle  which  has  practically  excluded  the  impre- 
catory portions  of  the  original  from  recent  use  in  song, 
should  exclude  the  entire  hymn  from  our  hymn-books. 
The  animus  of  the  whole  poem  is  imprecatory.  Its 
modern  use  as  a  liturgic  song,  we  cannot  but  think,  is 
perilous.  Its  inspired  foundation  by  no  means  estab- 
lishes its  claims  as  a  hijmn^  in  uninspired  form,  for 
Christian  use,  in  application  to  ages  and  occasions  not 
contemplated  in  its  divine  origin.  An  inspired  mind 
may  utter  that  which  one  possessing  no  miraculous 
safeguard  may  not.  A  seer,  speaking  as  moved  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  conscious  of  declaring,  through  the  me- 
dium of  his  own  retributive  instincts,  the  mind  of  God, 
may  express  those  instincts,  with  safety  to  their  moral 
equilibrium,  as  another  man  may  not.  The  very  con- 
sciousness of  inspiration  may  steady  the  sensibilities 
of  a  "  man  after  God's  own  heart,"  in  the  use  of  lan- 
guage, which,  if  applied  by  an  uninspired  worshipper 
to  other  circumstances,  times,  and  cases,  would  tempt 
him  to  malign  emotion.  Knowledge  of  the  doom  of 
certain  incorrigible  enemies  of  God,  may  give  a  bold- 
ness to  inspired  imprecation,  which  would  be  presump- 

12 


134  PSALM   BY  DR.   WATTS. 

tuous,  if  applied  by  any  other  mind,  to  any  other 
instance  of  flagrant  iniquity. 

We  do  not  say,  that  the  appropriation  by  another 
of  the  imprecatory  desires  of  an  inspired  mind,  is  not 
conceivably,  even  possibly  virtuous.  But  we  say  that 
it  is  perilous.  Our  ignorance  of  the  decrees  of  God 
renders  it  so.  Who  knoivs  that  the  present  Pope  of 
Rome,  or  the  despot  of  Madagascar,  or  the  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  an  American  court,  is  a  doomed  object  of  God's 
wrath  ?  Anathema  of  wickedness  is  safe ;  but  who 
shall  venture  to  anathematize  the  wicked?  This  is 
more  perilous  in  the  form  of  an  uninspired  imitation 
of  a  psalm,  than  in  the  appropriation  of  the  exact 
original.  It  is  more  hazardous  in  song^  than  in  rever- 
ent perusal  of  the  Scriptures.  We  believe  it  to  be 
fraught  with  more  danger  in  a  Christian  age,  than 
in  David's  time,  by  so  much  as  the  merciful  spirit  of 
Christ  is  more  luminous  than  that  of  Judaism.  We 
must  think  that  it  puts  in  jeopardy  the  spirituality  of 
worship,  especially  in  our  own  day  and  country,  in 
which  political  passions  are  tampant,  and  denuncia- 
tion of  rulers  needs  no  stimulus. 

Our  churches  have  been  influenced,  consciously  or 
unconsciously,  by  these  considerations,  in  eliminating 
from  their  use  of  the  hymn  in  question,  the  most 
appalling  imprecations  of  the  Psalm.  The  same  prin- 
ciples, we  repeat,  require  the  disuse  of  the  hymn  in 
public  song.  It  is  a  hymn  to  be  read  in  private  hours, 
with  devout  meditation  upon  the  circumstances  which 
called  forth  such  utterances  of  the  mind  of  Him  who 
said,  "  Vengeance  is  mine ;  I  will  repay." 

On  the  occasions  on  which  this  hymn  would  be  used, 
if  used  at  all,  we  need  hymns  of  an  entirely  different 


SUBSTITUTES   FOR   THE   PSALM.  135 

character.  For  example  :  Has  the  supreme  judiciary 
at  the  Capital,  given  a  blow  to  Freedom  which  reverbe- 
rates through  the  land  ?  Has  the  national  legislature 
struck  down  a  barrier  against  Slavery  ?  Have  the  state- 
courts  despoiled  a  hundred  churches  of  the  temples 
where  their  fathers  worshipped  ?  —  We  would  improve 
such  a  calamity  by  singing  strains  like  these : 

"  Dread  Jehovah  !  God  of  nations !  " 
"  See,  gracious  God !  before  thy  throne." 
"  On  Thee,  O  Lord  our  God,  we  call." 
"  O  Lord,  our  fathers  oft  have  told." 
"  Great  Shepherd  of  thine  Israel." 

We  would  rouse  a  timid  or  inactive  people  with  the 
old  battle-song  of  Adolphus  — 

"  Fear  not,  O  little  flock,  the  foe,"— 

or  with  the  not  less  spirited  hymn  of  one  of  our  own 
poets  — 

"  Stand  up !  stand  up  for  Jesus  !  " 

We  would  cheer  an  audience  of  disheartened  wor- 
shippers, by  such  psalms  of  worship  as  — 

"  Our  God,  our  help  in  ages  past." 
"  Up  to  the  hills  I  lift  mine  eyes." 
"  God  is  our  Refuge,  ever  near." 
"  God  is  our  Refuge  and  our  Strength." 
"  God  is  the  Refuge  of  his  saints." 

We  would  subdue  the  anger  of  an  outraged  com- 
munity, by  praising  Him  "  which  stilleth  the  tumult  of 
the  people,"  in  the  use  of  such  hymns  as  — 


136  CONCLUSION. 

"  Keep  silence,  all  created  things." 
"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way." 
'«  Great  God !  how  infinite  art  Thou ! " 
"  Jehovah  reigns  !  He  dwells  in  light." 
"  The  Lord  Jehovah  reigns." 
"  Kingdoms  and  thrones  to  God  belong.'' 
"  Wait,  O  my  soul,  thy  Maker's  will ; 
Tumultuous  passions,  all  be  still." 


We  have  thus  considered  a  few  of  the  principles  of 
hymnologyj  as  an  outgrowth  from  the  religious  life  of 
the  church,  and  also  some  collateral  principles  affecting 
the  construction  of  a  manual  of  liturgic  song. 

Tried  by  the  standard  here  set  forth,  any  existing 
manual  must  be  imperfect.  None  can  be  more  sensi- 
ble of  this,  than  they  who  have  encountered  the  labors 
of  exploration  ;  the  search  for  originals ;  the  accumula- 
tion of  readings ;  the  sifting  of  materials ;  the  balanc- 
ing of  conflicting  virtues ;  the  perplexities  of  classi- 
fication ;  the  adopted,  suspended,  abandoned,  resumed 
decisions;  the  testing  of  results  by  the  discussions  of 
friendly  criticism;  and  the  affliction  of  parting  with 
such  costly  treasures,  under  the  merciless  economy  of 
space  —  in  the  compilation  of  a  hymn-book.  An  ap- 
proximation, not  to  the  ''  best  conceivable,"  but  to  the 
"  best  possible,"  liturgy  of  song,  is  all  that  any  rea- 
sonable editor  will  hope  for,  and  all  that  any  reasona- 
ble critic  will  ask  for.  Both  have  reason  to  welcome 
the  diversities  of  candid  criticism,  with  which  every 
such  volume  must  be  received,  but  which,  in  the  selec- 
tion of  any  hymn-book  for  the  temple  service,  must 
concede  much  more  to  each  other  than  to  the  book.     So 


CONCLUSION.  137 

hymnology  grows,  like  everything  else  in  the  world  of 
mind  wliich  deserves  to  grow. 

An  editor  of  such  a  manual  of  psalmody  cannot 
more  wisely  give  the  result  of  his  labors  to  the  world, 
than  in  the  spirit  of  the  language  in  which  Dr.  Watts 
introduced  the  first  edition  of  "  The  Psalms  of  David, 
imitated  and  applied  to  the  Christian  State  and  Wor- 
ship": "  Whensoever  there  shall  appear  any  paraphrase 
of  the  Book  of  Psalms,  that  retains  more  of  the  savor 
of  David's  piety,  discovers  more  of  the  style  and  spirit 
of  the  gospel,  with  a  superior  dignity  of  verse,  and  yet 
in  lines  as  easy  and  flowing,  and  the  sense  as  level  to 
the  lowest  capacity,  I  shall  congratulate  the  world,  and 
consent  to  say,  '  Let  this  attempt  of  mine  be  buried  in 
silence.'  " 

12* 


CHAPTER     II. 

THE  TEXT  OF  HYMNS. 

The  criticism  on  the  text  of  church  hymns  is 
always  perilous.  They  are  associated  with  the  most 
imposing  scenes  of  the  present  life,  or  with  the  august 
realities  of  the  future.  If  they  become  suggestive 
of  mere  verbal  disputes  ;  if  their  faults  be  made  more 
prominent  in  the  popular  mind  than  their  excellences, 
their  sanctity  is  impaired.  It  is  easy  to  lessen  the 
influence  of  these  odes,  because  many  of  them  abound 
with  faults.  Some  of  the  best  of  them  are  disfigured 
by  mixed  metaphors,  strained  comparisons,  incon- 
gruous images.  They  live  by  their  own  spiritual 
power,  which  triumphs  over  their  literary  defects.  In- 
deed, their  rhetorical  blemishes  are,  in  one  respect,  a 
positive  gain  to  the  influence  of  the  poetry ;  for  they 
set  off*,  by  contrast,  its  vital  force,  and  attest  the  supe- 
riority of  pure  and  fervid  sentiment  over  all  the  graces 
of  style.  But  their  diction  is  still  open  to  criticism. 
It  is  easy  to  make  this  criticism,  and  to  expose  many 
of  our  most  precious  hymns  to  ridicule.  "  Nothing 
is  easier,"  said  Napoleon  Buonaparte, "  than  to  find 
fault."  There  are  no  two  books  which  can  with  more 
facility  be  made  the  theme  of  sport,  than  the  Bible 
and  the  Hymn  Book.  "  Wit,"  says  Lord  Kaimes, 
"  consists  chiefly  in  joining  things  by  distant  and  fan- 
ciful relations,  which   surprise   us  because   they  are 


PERILS   OF  CRITICISM.  139 

unexpected."  The  more  sacred  the  composition,  so 
much  the  more  facile  is  it  to  startle  men  by  connect- 
ing it  with  something  secular  or  contemptible.  This 
surprise  is  agreeable  to  an  irreligious  and  vulgar 
mind.  To  such  a  mind,  the  unexpected  association 
of  solemn  words  with  low  images  is  one  of  the  most 
fascinating,  as  it  is  the  most  demoralizing,  species  of 
wit.  But  in  a  free  censure  of  some  excellent  hymns, 
there  is  danger  of  making  ludicrous  suggestions,  and 
of  degrading,  if  not  spoiling,  those  forms  of  expression 
which  are  not  commonly  regarded  as  inappropriate  to 
the  worship  of  God.  The  spirit  of  even  a  just  criti- 
cism often  proves  that  the  critic  is  unfit  for  his  calling ; 
that  he  has  aspired  to  a  sphere  too  lofty  for  him.  He 
injures  his  own  character,  not  less  than  his  reputation, 
while  he  corrupts  the  minds  of  men  who  would  have 
thought  no  evil,  if  he  had  not  suggested  it. 

Still  there  will,  there  must,  be  discussion  on  the 
faults  of  hymns.  Let  it  be  conducted,  then,  in  the 
spirit  of  decorum  and  of  meek  reverence.  This  dis- 
cussion is  most  apt  to  arise  when  we  are  debating 
whether,  on  the  one  hand,  we  will  adhere  to  the  orig- 
inal form  of  our  sacred  odes,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  by 
certain  changes  in  the  stanzas,  accommodate  them  to 
the  real  or  imagined  wants  of  the  community.  On 
this  question,  extravagant  opinions  are  maintained  by 
some  advocates  and  by  some  opposers  of  alterations. 
All  hymnologists  unite  in  practically  adopting  altera- 
tions; but  all  do  not  agree  in  the  theory  that  they 
ought  to  be  adopted.  Let  us  now  examine,  under 
various  topics,  the  evils  and  the  advantages  of  devi- 
ating from  the  original  form  of  hymns. 


140  RIGHTS   OF  AUTHORS. 

§  1.  The  Relation  of  Changes  in  the  Text  to  the  Rights 
of  Authors. 

It  is  affirmed  by  some,  that  an  author  has  a  perfect 
right  to  control  the  use  that  shall  be  made  of  his  com- 
positions ;  and  that  all  alterations  of  what  he  has 
written  are  not  merely  "infringements"  upon  his 
property ;  they  are  "  frauds,"  "  trespasses,"  literary 
"  theft,"  "  robbery,"  "  swindling,"  and  (it  has  even 
been  added)  "  felony."  If  we  desire  to  print  the 
hymn  of  an  author,  we  must  print  it  just  as  he  wrote 
it.  If  we  will  not  take  his  form,  we  have  no  right  to 
take  his  hymn. 

Now  there  is  no  question,  that  an  author  has  a  legal 
right  to  withhold  from  the  community  the  productions 
of  his  pen ;  and  also,  if  he  publish  them,  and  if  he 
comply  with  certain  legal  conditions,  he  has  a  legal 
right  to  prevent  their  republication,  in  any  form, 
during  a  limited  period  of  time.  But  at  the  close  of 
that  period,  all  his  legal  rights  expire.  The  benevo- 
lent law  gives  his  productions,  freely,  to  the  world. 

Further  :  there  is  no  question  that  an  author  has  a 
moral  right  to  all  the  honor  with  which  the  merits  of 
his  work  are  fitted  to  crown  him  ;  and  he  may,  there- 
fore, within  certain  limits,  claim  to  have  his  work  pre- 
sented to  the  pubhc  in  that  form  which  will  be  most 
creditable  to  himself. 

But  there  are  limits  to  this  claim.  The  good  of  the 
community  must  not  be  sacrificed  to  the  honor  of  a 
single  individual.  The  whole  poem  may  reflect  a 
brighter  glory  on  its  author  than  a  few  detached  parts 
of  it;  but  those  parts  are  all  that  can  be  sung  in  a 
church  hymn,  and  they  may  be  selected,  even  although 


DESIGN   OF  A  HYMN   BOOK.  141 

the  writer  fail  of  securing  all  the  praise  which  the 
omitted  verses  would  have  given  him.  As  inapposite 
stanzas  may  be  omitted,  so  inapposite  words  may  be 
sacrificed,  for  more  church-like  phrases.  If  the  author 
wrote  his  poem  chiefly  for  his  own  fame,  the  omission 
of  his  inappropriate  lines  is  a  fit  comment  on  his  self- 
ishness ;  if  he  wrote  it  for  the  general  welfare,  he  will 
be  willing  to  advance  this  end,  even  at  the  sacrifice 
of  his  personal  reputation.  "When  he  publishes  a 
hymn,  he  gives  it  to  the  coming  ages ;  he  gives  up  his 
control  over  it.  If  he  does  not  mean  to  give  it  away, 
he  should  keep  it  to  himself  We  are  quite  free  from 
anxiety  lest  the  bliss  of  Gregory,  and  Ambrose,  and 
Bernard,  and  Baxter  should  be  disturbed  on  account 
of  the  damage  to  their  poetic  fame,  from  the  changes 
in  their  lyrics.  The  lines  of  bishop  Ken  breathe  the 
sentiment  of  a  dying  psalmist : 

"  And  should  the  well-meant  song  I  leave  behind, 
With  Jesus'  lovers  some  acceptance  find, 
'TwUl  heighten  even  the  joys  of  heaven  to  know 
That,  in  my  verse,  saints  sing  God's  praise  below." 

All  this  discussion  with  regard  to  the  "  rights  of 
authorship,"  may  be  terminated  by  considering  that 
a  manual  for  church  song  is  not  designed  to  per- 
petuate the  renown  of  men.  It  is  designed  for  the 
worship  of  God ;  and  in  some  respects  it  would,  better 
than  now,  fulfil  its  main  intent,  if  it  contained  no 
allusion  to  the  majority  of  names  connected  with  its 
hymns.  A  church  prayer  book  would  lower  its  tone 
of  sacredness,  if  it  should  append  to  each  separate 
petition  the  name  of  its  original  writer ;  and,  when  a 
church  hymn  book  parades  the  names  and  titles  of  its 


142  ELEGANT  EXTKACTS. 

numerous  authors  on  the  same  pages  with  the  songs, 
it  seems  almost  equally  adapted  to  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  renown  of  poets.  The  manual  for  church 
worship  must  not  be  regarded  as  the  original  reposi- 
tory of  sacred  songs ;  it  must  not  be  consulted  as  a 
literary  witness;  it  must  be  lool^d  upon  as  a  book 
of  prayer  and  praise.  Its  materials,  in  their  original 
form,  are  found  in  other  places.  In  those  places,  they 
may  contribute  to  the  honor  of  their  authors.  But  in 
the  church  manual,  the  fame  of  poets  should  be  lost 
in  the  glory  of  Him  whom  they  adore. 

Men  of  exclusively  literary  tastes,  and  also  men  who 
affect  to  be  the  literati, of  the  world,  are  apt  to  form  an 
inaccurate  and  a  low  estimate  of  the  very  nature  of 
a  church  hymn  book.  The  book  is  considered  as  a 
collection  of  choice  poems,  specimens  of  the  taste  and 
genius  of  eminent  composers.  In  this  view  it  ought 
not  to  be,  like  the  work  of  Dr.  Vicessimus  Knox,  a 
volume  of  "  Elegant  Extracts,''^  for  an  extract  from  a 
poem  fails  to  display  the  symmetry  of  the  whole. 
But  if  extracts  are  admitted,  they  must  be  quoted 
precisely  as  they  were  written.  They  are  historical 
specimens.  They  profess  to  be  mere  reproductions. 
Of  course,  all  changes  of  the  original  become  false- 
hoods. An  extract  of  six  stanzas,  which  are  consecu- 
tive in  the  hymn  but  not  consecutive  in  the  original, 
is  a  misrepresentation  of  its  author.  On  the  title- 
page  of  the  book,  and  as  a  title  of  every  song,  is  vir- 
tually published  the  announcement :  "  These  are  the 
beautiful  or  sublime  words  of  this  or  that  man."  To 
deviate  from  these  words,  in  such  a  case,  falsifies  the 
entire  aim  and  pretension  of  the  book.  It  is  indeed 
important   to   have  repertories   or   encyclopaedias  of 


ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  AUTHORS.         143 

Christian  hymns  in  their  pristine  form.  But  when  we 
regard  a  hymn  book  as  such  an  encyclopaedia,  or 
as  a  beautiful  abridgment  of  such  an  authoritative 
repertory,  we  substitute  an  historical  and  a  scholas- 
tic standard  for  the  higher  standard  of  piety  and 
devotion. 


§  2.  The  Relation  of  Changes  in  the  Text  to  the  En- 
couragement  of  Authorship, 

If  we  concede  that  it  is  right,  still  is  it  expedient,  to 
leave  an  author  uncertain  whether  the  exact  words  of 
his  hymn  will  be  transmitted  to  posterity  ?  Pained 
with  the  prospect  of  changes  in  his  song,  many  an 
author  will  shrink  back  from  giving  it  to  the  world. 
So  far  forth  as  a  sensitive  poet  is  deterred  from  author- 
ship by  the  fear  of  these  changes,  they  are  an  evil. 
The  evil  should  never  be  encountered,  except  in  the 
prospect  of  an  overbalancing  good. 

But  on  this  topic,  as  on  the  preceding,  men  enter- 
tain degrading  views  of  the  office  of  a  hymn  book. 
The  poet  is  not  dependent  on  the  church  manual  for 
the  faithful  preservation  of  his  words.  They  are 
guarded  in  the  literary  remains,  in  the  scholastic  re- 
positories, in  the  archives  of  the  university,  in  the  his- 
torical collections.  He  is  not  injured  by  the  fact  that, 
superadded  to  all  the  literary  and  scientific  channels 
through  which  his  words  may  flow  down  to  posterity, 
there  are  more  or  less  exact  quotations  from  them, 
in  manuals  for  public  worship.  Very  frequently,  the 
changes  made  in  his  hymn  are  the  occasion  of  its 
being  more  widely  known  in  its  original  form,  than  it 
otherwise  would  have  been.     Its  real  merits   would 


144  DR.    WATTS    ON   ALTERATIONS. 

never  have  been  discovered  by  the  majority  of  wor- 
shippers, if  some  critic  had  not  removed  the  rubbish 
of  uncouth  or  fantastic  words  under  which  the  solid 
worth  of  the  hymn  lay  hidden.  As  amended,  it  be- 
came a  favorite  lyric ;  when  it  had  become  such,  its 
original  was  sought  out;  if  it  had  not  been  pruned,  it 
would  have  been  forgotten.  A  man  of  poetic  genius 
ought  to  be  stimulated,  rather  than  discouraged,  by 
the  thought  that  posterity  will  not  willingly  let  his 
verses  die ;  and  that,  even  if  they  become  antiquated 
in  their  present  form,  they  will  still  live  in  new  and 
fresh  modifications,  or  become  the  germs  of  other  and 
better  songs.  A  philosopher  propounds  theories  in 
the  expectation  that  they  will  be  improved  by  the 
scholars  of  a  coming  age.  Does  this  expectation 
repress  his  love  of  contributing  to  the  advancement 
of  science  ?  Was  David  deterred  from  giving  his 
hymns  to  the  world,  through  fear  that  they  would  be 
modified  by  some  future  Milton  or  Montgomery  ? 

There  are  two  men  who  represent  two  classes  of 
poets,  in  relation  to  this  theme.  Dr.  Watts  is  one, 
and  he  is  a  representative  of  the  larger  class.  These 
are  his  words,  breathing  forth  his  unselfish  desire  that 
his  hymns  be  a  "  living  sacrifice "  to  God,  rising  up 
to  heaven,  in  any  form  which  may  be  congenial  with 
the  devout  aspirations  of  the  worshipper  :  "  If  any 
expressions  occur  to  the  reader  that  savor  of  an 
opinion  different  from  his  own,  yet  he  may  observe, 
these  are  generally  such  as  are  capable  of  an  ex- 
tensive sense,  and  may  be  used  with  a  charitable 
latitude.  I  think  it  is  most  agreeable,  that  what  is 
provided  for  public  singing,  should  give  to  sincere 
consciences  as  little   disturbance   as  possible.     How- 


145 


ever,  where  any  unpleasing  word  is  found,  he  that 
leads  the  worship  may  substitute  a  better  ;  for,  blessed, 
be  God,  we  are  not  confined  to  the  words  of  any  man 
in  our  public  solemnities."  i 

The  noble-hearted  psalmist  who  gave  this  authority, 
even  to  precentors,  to  make  extemporaneous  changes 
in  his  hymns,  would  not  have  regarded  it  as  an  out- 
rage upon  his  rights,  if  he  had  foreseen  that  Wesley 
and  Conder  and  Worcester  would  make  studied  and 
careful  changes  in  them. 

But  there  is  another,  less  numerous,  class  of  poets, 
represented  by  James  Montgomery.  In  the  year  1819, 
he  united  with  Rev.  Thomas  Cotterill  in  the  publica- 
tion of  a  hymn  book,  and  Montgomery  contributed 
"  the  benefit  of  his  judgment  in  the  choice  and  amend- 
ment of  available  compositions  from  various  quar- 
ters." In  1824,  he  said  :  "  Good  Mr.  Cotterill  and  I 
bestowed  a  great  deal  of  labor  and  care  on  the  com- 
pilation of  that  book  :  clipping,  interlining,  and  re- 
modelling hymns  of  all  sorts,  as  we  thought  we  could 
correct  the  sentiment  or  improve  the  expression." 
Speaking  of  his  toil  on  a  lyric  of  Cowper,  he  then 
remarked  :  "  I  entirely  rewrote  the  first  verse  of  that 
favorite  hymn,  commencing :  "  There  is  a  fountain 
filled  with  blood,"  etc.  The  words  are  objectionable 
as  representing  a  fountain  being  filled^  instead  of 
springing  up :  I  think  my  version  is  unexceptionable  : 

From  Calvary's  cross  a  fountain  flows, 

Of  water  and  of  bloorl ; 
More  healing  than  Bethesda's  pool, 

Or  famed  Siloa's  flood." 

»  Watts's  Works  (Preface  to  his  Hymns),  Vol.  IV.  p.  149. 

13 


146  MONTGOMERY'S   ALTERATIONS. 

In  the  year  1835,  Mr.  Montgomery  was  officially 
requested,  and  he  consented,  to  make  an  entire  revi- 
sion of  the  Moravian  hymn  book,  containing  twelve 
hundred  hymns.  "  And  it  is  hardly  too  much  to  say, 
that  the  time  and  thought  spent  in  the  reformation  of 
such  a  mass  of  matter,  much  of  it  of  a  peculiar  char- 
acter, was  not  less  than  would  have  sufficed  for  the 
composition  of  a  like  quantity  of  original  verse.  He 
was  often  compelled  either  to  change  an  obsolete  or 
equivocal  term,  to  soften  down  a  too  striking  senti- 
ment into  a  general  meaning,  or  entirely  to  remodel 
the  structure  of  a  verse,  or  even  of  a  whole  hymn." 
He  labored  on  these  amendments,  more  or  less  fre- 
quently, through  the  lengthened  period  of  twelve 
years.  In  1849  the  hymn  book  was  published,  con- 
taining a  multitude,  but  not  the  whole,  of  his  emenda- 
tions.! 

Notwithstanding  this  labor,  continued  at  intervals 
for  more  than  thirty  years,  in  the  modifying  of  sacred 
lyrics,  Mr.  Montgomery  requests  other  men  not  to 
modify  his  own  verses ;  and  says,  that  "if  good  people 
cannot  conscientiously  adopt  his  diction  and  doctrine, 
it  is  a  little  questionable  in  them  to  impose  upon  him 
theirs.^^  "  When  I  am  gone,"  he  says,  "  my  hymns 
will,  no  doubt,  be  altered  to  suit  the  taste  of  appropri- 
ators ;  for  it  is  astonishing  how  really  religious  per- 
sons will  sometimes  feel  scruples  about  a  turn  or  a 
term."  ^  What  Mr.  Montgomery  predicted,  has  come 
to  pass.  There  is  not  a  hymn  book,  English  or 
American,  which  contains  twenty  of  his  hymns,  with- 

*  Memoirs  of  James  Montgomery,  Vol.  III.  p.  158  ;  Vol.  IV.    pp. 
69,  70;  Vol.  VI.  pp.  266—268  ;  Vol.  VII.  pp.  154—157. 
2  Memoirs,  IV.  p.  70. 


Wesley's  alteratiijj^s.  147 

out  modifying  some  of  them.  That  remarkable  man, 
John  Wesley,  also  requested  that  his  poetical  effusions 
remain  unaltered.  But  as  he  made  many,  and  some 
splendid,  changes  in  the  lyrics  of  Henry  More,  Watts, 
and  others,  so  his  own  lyrics  are  now  more  deeply 
imbedded  in  the  hearts  of  worshippers,  and  the  orig- 
inal forms  of  them  are  more  faithfully  studied,  than 
they  would  have  been,  if  they  had  not,  in  a  modified 
style,  been  ingratiated  into  the  love  of  the  churches. 
The  entreaty  of  these  and  other  eminent  poets,  that 
there  may  be  no  changes  in  their  songs,  reminds  us 
of  Dr.  Joseph  Huntington's  Introduction  to  his  "  Cal- 
vinism Improved :  "  i  —  "  The  author  has  one  request 
to  make  to  all  that  may  see  or  hear  of  this  book. 
He  asks  that  none  would  either  approve  or  censure 
it,  until  after  careful  reading.  And  that  all  who  may 
have  read  it  with  attention,  and  then  speak  freely 
their  own  opinion  concerning  it,  as  every  one  in  that 
case  has  a  good  right  to  do,  would  also  communi- 
cate this  humble  request  from  the  author,  to  all  such 
as  have  knowledge  of  it  only  by  report."  If  men, 
because  requested,  are  bound  to  withhold  their  con- 
demnation of  Dr.  Huntington's  treatise,  they  will  soon 
be  obHgated,  because  they  will  soon  be  requested  by 
some  author,  to  purchase  some  particular  volume  of 
his,  to  circulate  it  gratuitously,  to  write  reviews  of  it, 
to  read  it  semi-annually  in  a  standing  or  kneeling 
posture.  That  petition,  which  will  more  probably  be 
granted  than  any  other,  was  made  by  Henry  Vaughan, 
in  the  preface  to  his  Silex  Scintillans,  p.  7:  "  And  if 
the  world  will  be  so  charitable  as  to  grant  my  request, 
I  do  here  most  humbly,  earnestly,  beg  that  none  would 
read  them  [my  earlier  writings]." 

1  See  page  xxiii. 


148 


UNIMP 


ORTANT   ALTERATIONS. 


But  it  is  asked:  Should  the  hymns  as  altered,  be 
ascribed  to  the  poet  who  never  indited  them  in  that 
form  ?  Is  not  this  ascription  a  falsehood  ?  We  have 
already  implied  that  there  are  evils  connected  with  any 
allusion  in  a  Hymn  Book  to  the  names  of  its  authors, 
especially  such  authors  as  Barlow,  Burns,  Campbell, 
Dryden,  Hogg,  Thomas  Moore,  Pope,  Walter  Scott, 
and  others  who  have  no  consecrated  name  in  the 
church.  Additional  evils  are  connected  with  such 
allusions,  where  the  stanzas  appear  in  a  new  diction. 
If  the  hymn  is  essentially  changed  in  style,  or  more 
especially  in  doctrine,  and  if  the  author's  name  be 
mentioned,  there  should  be  some  announcement  that 
the  modifications  are  made.^  Where  the  changes  are 
not  important,  the  notice  of  them  would  only  confuse 
the  reader.  If  all  the  alterations  found  in  Worcester's 
"  Watts  and  Select  Hymns "  were  signified  by  an 
asterisk  or  dagger  prefixed  to  the  altered  stanzas,  the 
number  of  hymns  without  the  asterisk  or  dagger 
would  be  very  insignificant.     But  how  could  we,  then, 


1  Often  the  Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection  makes  a  change  in 
the  doctrinal  expression  of  its  Psalms  and  Hymns,  without  giving  suf- 
ficient notice  of  the  change,  as  in  the  following  instances  : 


Original  Fobm. 

Watts's  I8th  Psalm. 
Or  if  my  feet  did  e'er  depart 
^Twas  never  with  a  wicked  heart. 

Watts's  32nd  Psalm. 
Blest  is  the  man  to  ivhom  the  Lord 
Imputes  not  his  iniquities. 

Beddome. 
When  on  the  cross  my  Saviour  died, 
A  righteous  God  was  pacified. 


Pkesbttebian  O.  S.  Poem. 


Or  if  my  feet  did  e'er  depart 
Thy   love   reclaimed  my   wandering 
heart. 

Before  his  judgment  seat  the  Lord 
No  more  permits  his  crimes  to  rise. 

Hymn  106. 
When  on  the  cross  my  Saviour  died, 
God's  holy  law  he  satisfied. 


AUTHORS   OF  ALTERED   HYMNS.  149 

distinguish,  whether  the  modifications  were  important 
or  trivial  ?  ^ 

It  must  be  observed,  further,  that  usage  has  long 
ago  explained  the  meaning  of  a  Hymn  Book  when  it 
refers  an  altered  hymn  to  its  original  author.  Long 
established  custom  has  taught  men,  not  to  expect 
that  the  hymn  will  be  always  quoted  with  punctilious 
accuracy,  not  to  look  upon  a  manual  for  worship  as 
a  standard  of  weights  and  measures,  of  antique  styles 
and  historical  phrases,  but  as  a  peculiar  and  a  privi- 
leged volume,  intended  for  nobler  than  antiquarian 
ends,  and  superior  to  the  petty  jealousies  of  authors. 
This  being  understood  as  the  explanation  of  ait  Index 
to  a  Hymn  Book,  no  wrong  is  done  when  a  hymn 
is  referred  to  a  poet  who  did  not  give  the  present 
finishing  touches  to  his  lines.  The  reference  is  inter- 
preted by  custom  ;  it  is  prescriptively  right.  The 
usage  began  and  continues  on  the  assumption,  that 
the  sweet  Psalmists  of  Israel,  even  although  they  were 
once  as  tenacious  as  Pontius  Pilate  of  what  they  had 
written,  will  now  suffer  their  hymns  to  rise  toward 
heaven  in  the  incense  of  devotion,  and  in  that  form 
which  is  most  congenial  with  the  devotional  spirit  of 
the  worshippers. 

There  are  so  many  readers  who  desire  to  know  the 
authorship   of  their  favorite  songs,  that  editors   who 

1  In  Worcester's  Watts  there  are  not  many  changes  aiFecting  the  doc- 
trinal character  of  the  lyrics.  Where  John  Newton  says  of  the  Saviour: 
" Oh  my  soul,  he  bore  thy  load"  Dr.  Worcester  says  :  "  Oh  my  soul, 
behold  the  load."  —  Select  Hymn,  174.  Where  Dr.  Watts  says  of  men: 
"  Their  hearts  by  nature  all  unclean,"  Dr.  Worcester  says :  "  Their 
hearts  by  nature  are  unclean."  —  B.  I.  H.  94.  In  changes  like  these, 
however.  Dr.  Worcester  did  not  probably  intend  to  modify  the  senti- 
ment, but  only  the  style. 

13* 


150         BICKERSTETH  ON  ALTERATIONS. 

prefer  to  do  otherwise,  feel  compelled  to  gratify  the 
general  curiosity.  And  then  there  are  so  many  pre- 
cious influences  flowing  from  an  association  of  these 
songs  with  names  like  those  of  Cowper  and  Newton, 
Luther  and  Ambrose,  that  editors  feel  bound  to  con- 
nect the  memory  of  a  sanctified  poet  with  the  other 
rich  reminiscences  of  the  hymn,  even  when,  as  indi- 
vidual editors,  they  would  prefer  to  fasten  the  worship- 
per's mind  upon  the  spirit^  rather  than  the  origin^  of 
what  he  sings.  In  all  this,  they  mean  to  be  under- 
stood, and  they  are  understood,  as  referring,  not  to 
the  orthography,  or  punctuation,  or  symmetry,  or  com- 
pleteness, or  the  minuter  graces  of  the  hymn,  when 
they  ascribe  it  to  a  particular  writer,  but  rather  as 
referring  to  its  aim,  spirit,  and  general  phraseology. 
The  pious  Toplady,  the  devout  Gibbons,  William 
Bengo  Collier,  Josiah  Conder.  indeed  a  majority  of 
the  most  accurate  and  exemplary  compilers  during 
the  last  hundred  years,  have  openly  announced  that 
their  selections  from  other  authors  have  not  been, 
in  all  instances,  exact  quotations.  Here,  as  in  a 
thousand  other  instances,  common,  immemorial  usage 
interprets  and  justifies  a  well-intended  deed.  The 
conscientious  Bickersteth,  in  the  Preface  to  his  Chris- 
tian Psalmody  (p.  v.),  thus  explains  the  meaning  of 
references  to  authors  in  a  church  hymn  book:  "As 
alterations  have  been  made  probably  by  every  col- 
lector of  hymns,  the  only  effective  way  of  enabling 
the  reader  to  know  what  the  hymn  originally  was, 
is  to  give  the  name  of  the  author,  by  which  reference 
may  be  made  to  it,  as  first  written."  Among  the  bold- 
est advocates  of  the  changes  adopted  in  the  Church 
Psalmody   by   Dr.    Lowell    Mason    and    Rev.    David 


DR.    PORTER   ON   ALTERATIONS.  151 

Greene,  were  Professor  Ebenezer  Porter  of  Andover,^ 
and  Dr.  Benjamin  B,  Wisner  of  Boston,  both  of  them 
distinguished  for  their  punctilious  accuracy,  and  both 
of  them  defending  alterations  of  hymns,  on  the  ground 
that  a  church  manual  needs  them,  and  has  a  prescrip- 
tive right  to  them,  and  cannot  properly  be  understood 
as  implying  that  all  its  authors  wrote  the  lyrics  in  the 
exact  form  which  is  demanded  for  public  worship. 


§  3.   Tlie  Immodesty  of  Changing  the  Text  of  Hymns, 

There  are  indeed  not  many  poets  who  can  lay 
claim  to  an  equality  with  Addison,  Gerhard,  Heber 
and  Keble.  A  reverent  mind  will  hesitate  long,  before 
it  will  even  suggest  an  improvement  of  the  words  of 
such  men.  There  is  an  immodesty  in  allowing  one 
jot  or  tittle  of  their  writings  to  pass  away,  unless  there 


1  It  is  a  great  error  to  suppose,  that  all  the  changes  adopted  in  the 
Church  Psalmody,  were  first  made  by  its  Editors.  Many  of  them  had 
been  long  established  in  England  and  in  this  country.  Dr.  Porter  of 
Andover,  although  eminent  as  a  judge  and  critic  of  psalmody,  yet,  as 
we  think,  carried  his  lo%'e  of  alterations  too  far.  He  condemned  indis- 
criminately the  erotic  expressions  in  hymns,  even  such  as  have  their 
parallel  in  the  inspired  word.  He  insisted  on  modifying  not  only  such 
phrases  as  Dear  God,  but  also  Dear  Lord.  He  once  remarked,  that 
the  line  "Jesus  Saviour  of  my  soul,"  was  '■'■  infinitely  hQiiex^^  than  the 
endeared  line  of  Wesley  :  "Jesus  Lover  of  my  soul.''  It  was  Dr.  Por- 
ter, also,  who  urged  more  strenuously  than  any  other  man,  that  the 
Church  Psalmody  should  have  on  its  margins  the  marks  for  musical 
expression.  These  are  a  blemish  to  the  manual,  and  also  to  Worcester's 
Watts.  What  would  be»thought  of  a  Prayer  Book,  which  appended 
to  its  supplications  the  following  rules :  "  Offer  this  part  of  the  prayer 
mezzo  piano ;^'  "Utter  these  petitions  c?mjnMenc?o ;  "  "  Now  pray  a^e- 
tuoso;''^  "Here  jiraj  staccato ; "  or  —  "  swell  ;^^  or  '^fortissimo.^'  A  book 
of  devotion  is  no  more  a  book  of  elocution,  than  it  is  of  antiquarian 
researches. 


152 


FAULTS  OF  EMINENT  POETS. 


be  an  obvious  reason  for  the  change.  But  "  aliquando 
bonus  dormitat  Homerus;"  and  even  when  the  stanza 
of  a  great  master  is  perfect  in  its  pristine  relations,  it 
may  be  imperfect  in  a  manual  of  church  song.  Mil- 
ton wrote  :  "  For  His  mercies  aye  endure ; "  but  in 
our  less  obsolete  form  of  his  version  of  the  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-sixth  Psalm  we  sing;  "For  his  mer- 
cies shall  endure."  He  said  :  "  Let  us  hlaze  his  name 
abroad;"  an  Episcopal  hymn  book  substitutes:  "Let 
us  sound  his  name  abroad."  He  crowds  eight  sylla- 
bles into  lines  which  admit  only  seven,  and  writes : 

Who  b/  his  wis'dom  did'  create' 
The  pain'ted  heavens'  so  full'  of  state'. 

The  Episcopal  version  reduces  these  lines  to  their 
proper  measure : 

Who'  by  wis'dom  did'  create' 
Heaven"s  expanse'  and  all'  its  state'. 

Addison,  also,  with  all  the  exquisite  chasteness  of 
his  imagination,  wrote  a  stanza  which  it  was  not  im- 
modest for  the  English  hymnologists  to  modify : 


Okiginal  Forji. 


Then  see  the  sorrows  of  my  heart 

Ere  yet  it  is  too  late  ; 
And  add  my  Saviour's  dying  groans. 

To  give  those  sorrows  weight. 


Altered  Form. 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  1280. 

Then  see  my  sorrows,  gracious  Lord! 

Let  mercy  set  me  free. 
While  in  the  confidence  of  prayer 

My  heart  takes  hold  of  thee. 


The  exquisite  Cowper,  whose  verses  it  were  often 
profane  to  tamper  with,  has  written  the  couplet: 

Israel's  young  ones,  when  of  old, 
Pharaoh  threatened  to  withhold. 

This  couplet  appears  in  the   167th  Select  Hymn  of 
"Worcester's   Watts,  but  there  the  word   ^Hnfants'^^  is 


Wordsworth's  emendations. 


153 


substituted  for  ^^  young-  onesP  In  the  47th  Select 
Hymn  of  Dr.  Worcester's  manual,  another  stanza  of 
Cowper  remains  unaltered : 

Not  such  as  hypocrites  suppose, 
Who  with  a  graceless  heart 
^  Taste  not  of  Thee,  but  drink  a  dose 
Prepared  by  Satan's  art. 

K  now  the  choice  minds  of  our  most  seraphic  poets 
have  sometimes  let  a  word  fall,  which  it  is  not  indeli- 
cate to  alter,  can  we  regard  the  less  admirable  genius 
of  other  men  as  elevated  above  the  reach  of  criticism  ? 
An  American  scholar,  previously  unknown  to  Words- 
worth, suggested  to  him  several  emendations  of  the 
poet  laureate's  verses  ;  and  the  author  of  the  Excur- 
sion adopted,  as  his  own,  all  the  proposed  amend- 
ments. It  is  not  implied,  in  a  criticism,  that  the  critic 
regards  himself  superior  to  the  genius  in  which  he 
detects  a  flaw.  Apelles  modified  his  picture,  at  the 
hint  of  a  cobbler.  An  artist  who  does  not  feel  worthy 
to  loosen  the  latchet  of  the  shoe  of  Raphael,  may 
yet  discern  a  fault  in  the  Transfiguration.  There  is 
no  manifestation  of  vanity  or  arrogance  in  the  editors 
of  the  Presbyterian  (Old  School)  hymn  book,  adopt- 
ing the  following  alterations  of  Dr.  Watts's  Psalms  : 


Original  Form. 

Watts's  7th  Psalm. 
For  me  their  malice  ditjg'd  a  pit, 
But  there  themselves  are  cast  ; 
Ml)  God  makes  all  their  mischiefs 
light 
On  their  own  heads  at  last. 

Watts's  \5th  Psalm. 
While  others  gripe  and  grind  the 
poor. 


Presbyterian  O.  S.  Collection. 


Though  leagued  in  guile,  their  malice 
spread 

A  snare  before  my  way  ; 
Their  mischiefs  on  their  impious  head 

His  vengeance  shall  repay. 

While  others  scorn  and  wrong  the        j 
poor.  y 


154 


ADVANTAGES   OF  THE  POET. 


Oeiginal  Form. 

Watts's  34th  Psalm. 
To  him  the  poor  lift  up  their  eyes, 
Their  faces  fed  the  heavenly  shine. 

Watts's  3^th  Psalm. 
Behold  the  love,  the  generous  love 

That  holy  David  shows  ; 
See  how  his  sounding  bowels  move 

To  his  afflicted  foes. 

Watts's  31th  Psalm. 
His  lips  abhor  to  talk  profane. 

Watts's  4:9th  Psalm. 
Life  is  a  blessing  can't  be  sold. 

Watts's  49th  Psalm. 
Like  thoughtless  sheep  the  sinner 

dies, 
Laid  in  the  grave  for  worms  to  eat. 

Watts's  list  Psalm. 
My  tongue  shall  all  the  day  pro- 
claim 
My  Saviour  and  my  God  ; 
His  death  has  brought  my  foes  to 
shame. 
And  drowned  them  in  his  blood. 

Watts's  \Q4th  Psalm. 
Tame  heifers  there  their  thirst  allay. 


Presbyterian  O.  S.  Collection. 


To  him  the  poor  lift  up  their  eyes. 
With  heavenly  joy  their  faces  shine. 


Behold  the  love,  the  generous  love 
That  holy  David  shows ; 

Behold  his  kind  compassion  move 
For  his  afflicted  foes. 


His  soul  abhors  discourse  profane. 
Eternal  life  can  ne'er  be  sold. 


Like  thoughtless  sheep  the  sinner 

dies. 
And  leaves  his  glories  in  the  tomb. 


My  tongue  shall  all  the  day  pro- 
claim 
My  Saviour  and  my  God ; 
His  death  has  brought  my  foes  to 
shame. 
And  saved  me  by  his  blood. 


There  gentle  herds  their  thirst  allay. 


§  4.   The  Probability/  that  a  Poefs  Inspiration  will  sur- 
pass a  Critic's  Amendment. 

In  the  glow  of  composition,  the  thoughts  are  more 
genial  and  healthful  than  in  the  cold  business  of 
criticism.  Images  throng  upon  the  mind  of  the  poet, 
words  come  of  their  own  accord,  and  marshal  them- 
selves in  their  own  places  ;  but  the  critic  looks  anx- 
iously around  to  find  more  fitting  images,  and  he 
seeks  after  more  appropriate  words  ;  and  the  very- 
anxiety  of  his  search  makes  his  conceptions  unnatu- 


DISADVANTAGES   OP  THE  CRITIC. 


155 


ral,  his  phrases  cold  and  chilling.  Editors  are  often 
audacious,  when  they  venture  to  omit  or  supplement 
a  stanza  once  finished  by  a  royal  poet.  They  would 
less  frequently  attempt  their  rash  enterprise,  if  they 
remembered  that  the  poet  indited  his  words  in  the 
fervor  of  inspiration,  and  was  borne  onward  by  the 
impulses  of  a  mind  and  heart  sanctified  "and  therefore 
made  accurate  by  the  true  spirit  of  song,  and,  above 
all,  by  the  Spirit  of  grace ;  while  the  critic  comes  up 
to  his  work  in  cold  blood,  and  calculates,  and  meas- 
ures, and  counts  syllables,  and  works  up  his  faculties 
to  find  out  some  phrase  which  will^^  in^  and  fill  out 
a  chasm  made,  often  ruthlessly,  by  himself.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  costly  gems  have  been  broken,  and 
exquisite  settings  have  been  marred,  by  the  hammer 
and  file  of  careless  menders  of  hymns. 

Even  the  rhetorical  structure  of  a  lyric  is  often 
broken  by  a  thoughtless  change.  Several  manuals 
have  actually  destroyed  Sir  Robert  Grant's  double 
rhyme  in  the  fifth  stanza  of  his  *'  O  worship  the  King 
all  glorious  above  "  : 


Original,  with  Double  Rhyme. 


Oh  mea'sureless  MigM  !   Ineffable 

Love' ! 
While  an' gels  delight'  to  hymn'  thee 

above'. 


Altered,  without  the  Double 
Rhyme. 

Father'  Almighty',  how  faith'ful  thy 

love', 
While  an'gels  delightf  to  hymn'  thee 

above'. 


In  1814,  Dr.  Worcester  published  his  Christian 
Psalmody,  in  which  he  supposed  that  Dr.  Watts's 
Hymn  Book  was  "very  considerably  abridged,  with- 
out any  detriment."  But  many  of  the  stanzas  which 
he  omitted,  were  regarded  by  some  of  his  brethren  as 
the  very  choicest  effusions  of  sacred  poetry.     He  could 


156  NEEDLESS  ALTERATIONS. 

not  satisfy  the  churches  until  he  restored  these  stanzas 
in  the  manual  now  familiarly  known  as  "  Worcester's 
Watts  and  Select."  Multitudes,  however,  have  been 
dissatisfied  with  the  changes  yet  retained  in  this 
familiar  hymn  book.  Nor,  since  its  publication,  has 
there  appeared  a  single  manual  for  church  song,  which 
has  not  offended  many  readers  by  its  alterations  of 
the  primitive  text.  Here  and  there  a  manual  has 
pretended  to  admit  no  alterations ;  but  every  such 
book  actually  contains  the  most  objectionable  amend- 
ments. It  cannot  be  expected  that  all  critics  wiU 
agree  with  regard  to  emendations  of  favorite  odes. 
The  tastes  and  associations  of  men  are  so  diversified, 
that  it  would  be  well  nigh  a  miracle  for  even  two 
independent  critics  to  coincide  perfectly,  with  regard 
to  the  structure  of  the  twenty  thousand  lines  in  a 
popular  hymn-book.  For  ourselves,  we  have  never 
studied  such  a  book  printed  during  the  last  thirty 
years,  in  which  we  have  not  found  some  alterations 
that  appeared  to  us,  for  one  reason  or  another,  unad- 
visable.  It  is  a  fashion  of  recent  critics,  to  expose  the 
infelicitous  changes  in  the  Church  Psalmody  ;  but  any 
other  manual  will  present  vulnerable  points  enough. 
Almost  at  random  we  select  the  following  needless 
alterations,  found  either  in  the  "  Psalms  and  Hymns 
authorized  and  approved  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,"  or  in  the  manual  hon- 
ored by  the  name  of  the  late  Dr.  Samuel  Worcester. 


Original,  as  in  the  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book. 

Hijmn  217. 
In  spite  of  all  my  foes, 

Thou  dost  my  table  spread. 


Alterations   in  the  Presby- 
terian O.  S.  Collection. 


Amid  surrounding  foes 

Thou  dost  my  table  spread. 


NEEDLESS  ALTERATIONS. 


15T 


Obiginal,  A8  in  the  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  1025. 
How  bright  has  his  salvation  shone 
Through  all  her  palaces  ! 

Hymn  1025. 
Where  his  own  sheep  have  been. 

Hymn  492. 
And  make  my  broken  hones  rejoice. 

Hymn  1129. 
The  prisoner  leaps  to  loose  [lose]  his 
chains. 

Hymn  498. 
Their  fancied  joys,  how  fast  they  flee! 
Just  like  a  dream  when  man  awakes  ; 
Their  songs  of  softest  hannony 
Are  but  a  prelude  [preface  i]  to 
their  plagues. 

Hymn  121. 
Thy  throne  was  fixed  on  high 
Before  the  starry  sky. 

Hymn  163. 
How  sloiuly  doth  his  wrath  arise  ! 

Hymn  135. 
"Within  thy  circling  arms  I  lie, 
Beset  on  every  side. 

Hymn  225. 
His  morning  smiles  bless  all  the  day. 

Hymn  254. 
When  through  his  eyes  the  Godhead 
shone. 

Hymn  1109. 
Arise  in  thy  strength,  thy  redeemed 
to  cherish ! 

O  Jesus,  once  tossed  on  the  breast 
of  the  billow. 


Alterations  in  the  Presby- 
terian O.  S.  Collection. 


How  bright  has  his  salvation  shone ! 
How  fair  his  heavenly  grace  ! 


Where  his  ovra  Jlocks  have  been. 
And  make  my  broken  heart  rejoice.     ] 
ITie  joyful  prisoner  bursts  his  chains. 


Their  fancied  joys,  how  fast  they  flee. 
Like  dreams  as  fleeting  and  as  vain  ; 

Their  songs  of  softest  harmony 
Are  but  a  prelude  to  their  pain. 


Thy  throne  was  fixed  on  high 
Ere  stars  adorned  the  sky. 


How  slow  his  awful  wrath  to  rise. 


Within  thy  circling  arms  I  lie. 
Enclosed  on  every  side. 


His  morning  smiles  adorn  the  day. 
The  brightness  o/'the  Godhead  shone. 


Then  send  doion  thy  grace,  thy  re- 
deemed to  cherish. 

O  Jesus,  once  rocked  on  the  breast 
of  the  billow. 


1  The  word  preface  is  the  origmal,  but  is  exchanged  for  prelude  in  the 
most  popular  collections. 

14 


158 


NEEDLESS  ALTERATIONS. 


Original,  as  in  the  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  856. 
Uttered'  or  Mn'expressed'. 

Hymn  1055. 
While  all  our  hearts  and  all  our 


Join  to  admu'e  the  feast. 


Alterations  in  the  Presby- 
terian 0.  S.  Collection. 

t^nut'tered  or'  expressed'. 


While   all  our  hearts   in  this 
sonrj 
Join  to  admire  the  feast. 


Original,  as  in  the  Sabbath 

Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  756. 

While  faith  inspires  a  heavenly  ray. 

Hymn  165. 
Oh  may  I  live  to  reach  the  place. 

Hymn  1164. 
Yet  senseless  mortals  vainly  strive. 

Hymn  1266. 
Men  the  dear  objects  of  his  grace, 
And  he  the  loving  God. 

Hymn  915. 
Shall  we  go  on  to  sin, 

Because  thy  grace  abounds  ? 

Hymn  130. 
The  Lord  our  God  is  full  o/ might. 

Hymn  680. 
Shall  quench  the  spark  divine. 

Hymn  241. 
And  though  his  footsteps  are  un- 
known. 

Hymn  241. 
With  reverence  how  before  his  seat. 

Hymn  286. 
The  wondering  angels  see. 


Hymn  1031. 
Mourning  captive  ! 
God  himself  will  loose  thy  bands. 


Alterations  in  Worcester's 
Watts. 

While  faith  supplies  a  heavenly  ray. 
Oh  may  I  reach  the  happy  place. 
Yet  senselessly  vain  mortals  strive. 


Men  the  dear  objects  of  his  grace, 
And  he  their  loving  God.  J 

Shall  we  go  on  to  sin. 
Because /ree  grace  abounds? 


The  Lord  our  God  is  clothed  with 
might. 

Shall  quench  the  love  divine. 


But  though  his  methods  are  un- 
known. 


Prostrate  before  his  awful  seat. 
Angels  with  ivonder  see. 


Drooping  captive, 
God  himself  will  loose  thy  bands. 


NEEDLESS   ALTERATIONS. 


159 


Oeigixal,  as  in  the  Sabbath 
Htmn  Book. 

Humn  1061. 
Their  solemn  charge  receive, 
In  rapture  [raptures]  or  in  woe. 

Hymn  1159. 
Upward  [upwards],  Lord^  our  spirits 
raise  ; 

Pardon  of  our  sins  renew ; 
Teach  us  henceforth  how  to  live. 

Bless  thy  word  to  young  and  old ; 
Fill  us  with  a  Saviodr's  love. 


Alterations  in  Worcester's 
Watts. 


Their  awful  charge  receive. 
In  happiness  or  woe. 


Lord,  our  expectations  raise. 

Former  kindnesses  renew ; 
From  this  moment  may  we  live. 

Bless  the  word  to  young  and  old. 
Shed  abroad  a  Saviour's  love. 


Among  other  alterations  in  Worcester's  Watts, 
which  many  critics  would  condemn,  because  unneces- 
sary, are  those  in  Book  I.  143;  Book  II.  107,  140; 
Book  III.  3 ;  Select,  9.  Dr.  Watts  wrote  B.  II.  28, 
"  His  quivering  lips  hang  feebly  down.  His  pulses  faint 
and  few."  Dr.  Worcester  writes,  "  His  pulse  is  faint 
and  few."  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  has  been  criti- 
cised for  inserting  the  lines  in  the  left  hand  column 
below^,  and  thus  altering  the  original  lines,  which  have 
been  supposed  to  be  those  quoted  in  the  right  hand 
column.  But  here,  as  often  elsewhere,  the  imagined 
alterations  are  the  originals,  and  the  imagined  orig- 
inals are  the  alterations. 


Original,  as  in  the  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book. 
Hymn  815. 
Down  to  the  gulf  of  black  despair. 

Hyynn  1059. 
We  plead  for  those  who  plead  for 

thee,  — 
Successful  pleaders  may  they  be. 

Hymn  1160. 
When  past  —  but  as  a  day  ! 
A  host  of  enemies  without. 


Altered  roRii. 


Down  to  the  gulf  of  dark  despair. 


We  plead  for  those  who  plead  for 

thee,  — 
Successful  may  they  ever  be. 


When  past,  'tis  but  a  day. 

A  host  of  dangerous  foes  without. 


) 


160 


IMPERFECTIONS   OF  WATTS. 


Original,  as  in  the  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  698. 
Thou  know'st  /  love  thee,  dearest 
Lord. 

Hymn  219. 
My  steadfast  heart  shall  year  no  ill. 
Addison. 

Hymn  695. 
And  tremble  on  the  brink  of  fate. 

Hymn  883. 

That  leans,  0  Lord,  on  thee  ! 

Hymn  55. 

Here  afford  us,  Lord,  a  taste 
Of  our  everlasting _/easi. 


Altered  Form. 

Thou  hiowest  that  I  love  thee,  Lord. 

My  steadfast  heart  shall  know  no  ill. 

And  save  me  ere  it  is  too  late.  \ 

That  trusts  the  Almighty  hand. 


Here  afford  uS,  Lord,  a  taste 
Of  our  everlasting  rest. 


But  it  is  the  prerogative  of  good  judgment  to  use 
a  good  principle  rationally.  While  we  recognize  the 
truth,  that  the  original  readings  are  commonly  the 
best,  and  that  ill-considered  changes  are  apt  to  turn 
poetry  into  prose,  or  sense  into  nonsense,  we  must 
also  remember  that  no  lyrist  has  yet  attained  per- 
fection, and  our  duty  is  to  "  cease  from  man  whose 
breath  is  in  his  nostrils."  The  afflatus  of  the  poet 
commonly  wafts  him  onward  in  a  graceful  or  a  sub- 
lime movement,  but  now  and  then  the  gales  of  his 
fancy  bear  him  into  the  dry  sand.  Among  the  sacred 
lyrists  of  the  English,  or  of  any  other  language,  there 
has  not  arisen  a  greater  than  Isaac  Watts,  since  the 
days  of  supernatural  inspiration.  But  we  are  com- 
pelled to  own,  that  besides  other  far  more  unworthy 
stanzas,  he  wrote  the  following : 

My  foot  is  ever  apt  to  slide, 

My  foes  rejoice  to  see*t ; 
They  raise  their  pleasure  and  their  pride 

When  they  supplant  my  feet. 
Psalm  38,  C.  M. 


EARLY  PREJUDICES.  161 

Yet,  if  my  God  prolong  my  breath, 

The  saints  may  profit  hift ; 
The  saints,  the  glory  of  the  earth, 

The  men  of  my  delight. 

Psalm  16,  C.  M.,  first  part. 

In  reading  Dr.  Worcester's  Abridgment  of  Watts's 
Psalms  and  Hymns,  we  are  surprised  at  the  multitude 
of  couplets  and  entire  lyrics,  so  faulty  "  as  seldom, 
perhaps  never,  to  be  given  out  in  public,"  and  there- 
fore excluded  from  his  Christian  Psalmody.  Many  of 
these  stanzas,  as  restored  in  Worcester's  Watts,  have 
never,  we  presume,  been  sung  since  their  restoration  ; 
and  some  of  them,  as,  for  instance.  Psalm  83,  stanzas 
4 — 6,  have  so  infrequently  been  even  perused.^  that 
their  very  existence  is  unknown  to  the  great  majority 
of  worshippers  using  that  manual. 

§  5.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  Affecting  Old  Associations. 

"  I  will  make  Jerusalem  heaps  ; "  "I  will  make 
Jerusalem  a  cup  of  trembling ; "  "I  will  make  Jeru- 
salem a  burdensome  stone ; "  "I  create  Jerusalem  a 
rejoicing  ;  "  —  such  phrases  are  frequent,  in  the  pro- 
phetic style.  Dr.  Doddridge  preached  a  discourse  on 
Isaiah  62 :  6,  7,  "  Ye  that  make  mention  of  the  Lord, 
keep  not  silence ;  and  give  him  no  rest,  till  he  estab- 
lish, and  till  he  make  Jerusalem  a  praise  in  the  earth." 
One  of  his  best  hymns  followed  that  discourse : 

2.  How  shall  thy  servants  give  thee  rest. 

Till  Zion's  mouldering  walls  thou  raise  ; 
Till  thy  own  power  shall  stand  confessed, 
And  make  Jerusalem  a  praise. 

10.  And  Zion,  made  a  jjraise  hy  thee, 

To  thee  shall  render  hack  the  praise. 
14* 


162  EARLY  PREJUDICES. 

In  some  recent  versions,  the  fourth  line  here  quoted 
is  exchanged  for  another :  "  And  thine  own  church  he 
filled  with  praise.^^  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  hymn 
1122,  rejected  this  interpolation,  because  it  is  not  hal- 
lowed by  common  use,  and  is  in  no  way  an  improve- 
ment upon  Doddridge's  own  biblical  quotation.  Yet 
an  advocate  of  the  original  text  has  quoted  the  line 
in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  "  And  make  Jerusalem 
a  praise "  /  and  has  appended  to  it  an  exclamation 
point,  as  if  it  were  a  signal  instance  of  "  clumsy  and 
prosaic  alteration,"  "  very  objectionable  innovation," 
and  places  over  against  it  what  he  mistakes  for  Dod- 
dridge's own  words :  "  And  thine  own  church  be  filled 
with  praised  This  is  one  among  numerous  examples 
of  the  love  which  a  man  acquires  to  verses  which  he 
has  often  perused,  and  the  facility  with  which  he  sees 
more  excellence  in  those  verses  than  in  any  which 
can  be  substituted  for  them.  The  same  writer  objects 
to  the  383d  hymn  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  as 
"  in  a  form  very  different  from  what  [he  has]  been 
accustomed  toj''  and  yet  every  word  remains  precisely 
as  Mrs.  Steele  left  it,  with  the  exception  of  the  first 
line,  where  instead  of  "  Triumphant  he  ascends  on 
high,"  a  more  appropriate  beginning  is  chosen  :  "  Tri- 
umphant Christ  ascends  on  high." 

The  same  Review  which  contains  the  two  pre- 
ceding criticisms  adds  the  following :  "  All  other  col- 
lections [than  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book]  in  which  this 
hymn  [Wesley's  '  Rejoice,  the  Lord  is  King']  is  found, 
so  far  as  our  knowledge  extends,  give  the  chorus  of 
that  hymn,  repeated  in  every  stanza,  thus : 

Lift  up  the  heart,  lift  up  the  voice, 
Rejoice  aloud,  ye  saints,  rejoice : 


EARLY  PREJUDICES.  163 

which  (for  some  musical  reason,  surely,  and  no  other) 
is  changed  by  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  into 

Lift  up  your  hearts,  lift  up  your  voice, 
Kejoice !  again  I  say,  rejoice  " ! 

Now  the  truth  is,  that  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book 
retains  that  chorus  exactly  as  Wesley  left  it,  and 
as  it  is  stiU  retained  in  Montgomery's  Psalmist,  the 
Revised  Edition  of  the  Methodist  Hymn  Book,  and  in 
other  authoritative  manuals.  Some  manuals  ascribe 
the  hymn  to  Dr.  Rippon,  and  we  first  discovered  that 
changed  form  of  it,  which  our  reviewer  prefers,  in 
Rippon's  Selection,  printed  in  1813.  And  then,  as 
to  "  some  musical  reason  surely^  and  no  other ^''  which 
induced  Charles  Wesley  to  select  his  original  read- 
ing in  preference  to  Rippon's  interpolation,  —  this 
"  musical  reason "  is  found  in  the  fourth  verse  of 
the  fourth  chapter  of  the  epistle  to  the  Philippians : 
"  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always,  and  again  I  say^  re- 
joice." There  is  music  in  this  inspired  phrase,  which 
breathes  delightfully  through  Wesley's  biblical  hymn. 
His  expressive  quotation  is  as  much  superior  to  the 
altered  form  "  Rejoice  aloud,"  as  an  inspired,  quick- 
ening, cheering,  and  reiterated  call,  is  better  than  a 
loud  joy. 

The  three  criticisms  just  mentioned,  develop  an 
attachment  to  old  poetic  reminiscences,  which  is  in 
itself  amiable,  and  suggestive  of  important  rules  in 
church  song.  For,  very  peculiarly  is  our  worship  of 
the  Ancient  of  Days  affected  by  associating  it  with 
times  gone  by.  There  are  some  lyrics  of  historical 
celebrity,  like  the  first  English  hymn  for  the  Old  Hun- 
dredth tune :  "  All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell,"  and 


164  PROFESSOR  B.   B.  EDWARDS. 

the  old  Scotch  version  of  the  twenty -third  Psalm: 
"  The  Lord 's  my  shepherd,  I  '11  not  want,"  which  in 
the  simple  homeliness  of  their  style,  transport  us  into 
the  near,  warm  presence  of  our  ancestors,  as  with 
tearful  eye  and  aching  heart,  amid  sicknesses,  perse- 
cutions, and  still  more  disheartening  fears,  they  war- 
bled forth  these  identical  words.  They  should  be  in 
every  Hymn  Book.  They  should  remain  unaltered, 
even  when  a  change  would  remove  here  and  there  a 
rhetorical  blemish.  The  antiquity  of  their  form  is  the 
prominent  excellence  of  it.  They  are  an  exception 
from  the  general  rule.  They  may  be  easily  ridiculed, 
but  in  the  final  event,  a  spirit  of  reverence  will  pre- 
vail over  the  disposition  to  sneer  at  simple-hearted 
devotion. 

Perhaps  there  are  no  words  in  the  English  lan- 
guage, that  express  more  feelingly  and  more  justly 
the  importance  of  adhering  to  the  original  form  of 
our  sacred  songs,  than  the  following  words  of  the  late 
Professor  B.  B.  Edwards.  Speaking  of  those  hymns 
which  are  "  the  product  of  earthly  genius  and  of 
heavenly  inspiration,"  "  which  had  their  origin  almost 
in  heaven,"  he  says  :  ^ 

"  These  compositions  should  remain  unchanged,  so 
that  the  ancient  recollections  connected  with  them 
may  be  preserved.  It  is  well  known,  that  such  asso- 
ciations are  often  a  principal  cause  of  the  extraor- 
dinary effects  which  are  produced  by  popular  music. 
The  poetry  and  the  music  may  be  indifferent,  but 
the  composition  was  used  in  some  great  crisis  of  the 
country,  in   some  new  turn   of  human    affairs  ;    and 

*  Writings  of  Prof.  B.  B.  Edwards,  with  a  Memoir,  Vol.  I.  pp.  156,  157. 


PROFESSOR  B.  B.  EDWARDS.  165 

tradition,  and  popular  sympathy,  and  recollection  im- 
part to  it  astonishing  power. 

"  In  like  manner,  some  pieces  of  sacred  music,  some 
standard  hymns,  excellent  as  they  may  be  in  them- 
selves, are  greatly  indebted  to  the  reminiscences  that 
have  been  clustering  around  them  for  ages.  They 
were  sung  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountains,  when 
it  was  unsafe  to  utter  the  louder  notes ;  or  in  some 
almost  fathomless  glen,  where  the  eucharistic  wine 
might  be  mingled  with  the  blood  of  the  communi- 
cant. Some  of  them  aroused  the  fainting  spirit  of 
the  reformer,  when  the  fate  of  Protestantism  was  de- 
pending on  the  turn  which  a  half  enlightened  human 
will  might  take,  in  the  caprice  of  a  moment.  Others 
were  sung  on  a  wintry  sea  by  pilgrim  voices.  Some 
are  hallowed  by  missionary  reminiscences,  or  by  all 
the  sad,  yet  joyful  images  of  the  chamber  of  death. 
A  thousand  times  have  they  quivered  on  lips,  which 
in  a  moment  were  motionless  forever.  A  thousand 
times  have  they  been  wept  rather  than  sung,  while 
the  grave  was  unvailing  her  faithful  bosom  ;  while  a 
mother's  precious  remains  were  descending  to  their 
last  resting-place,  or  while  they  came  as  life  from  the 
dead  to  the  solitary  mourner,  whose  entire  household 
were  beneath  the  clods  of' the  valley.  Everywhere,  in 
innumerable  burying  places,  fragments  of  them  are 
engraven  with  rude  devices,  teaching  the  rustic  moral- 
ist how  to  die,  or  pointing  him  to  the  sure  and  certain 
hope.  They  are  embalmed  in  the  most  sacred  affec- 
tions of  the  heart.  They  often  come  like  unseen  min- 
isters of  grace  to  the  soul.  We  would  not  lose  a 
line,  or  suffer  the  alteration  of  a  word.  The  slightest 
change  breaks  the  link.     It  is  sacrilege  to  touch  them. 


166  PROFESSOR  B.   B.   EDWARDS. 

They  connect  us  with  the  holy  dead  on  the  other  side 
of  the  ocean  ;  they  bring  up  the  hallowed  memories 
of  Watts,  and  Wesley,  and  Cowper  ;  they  make  us  at 
home  in  the  venerable  churchyards  where  our  fore- 
fathers' dust  is  garnered.  We  ^.re  fellow -citizens  with 
the  great  commonwealth  of  the  happy  dead  in  both 
hemispheres.  We  feel  new  chords  of  relationship  to 
the  saints  in  glory." 

The  author  of  this  eloquent  protest  against  altering 
the  text  of  hymns,  and  especially  those  hymns  which 
are  "  cut  in  the  rock  forever,"  was  advocating  a  gen- 
eral principle,  and  was  not  intending  to  preclude  all 
exceptions  to  it ;  for  when  he  was  called  to  prepare  an 
epitaph  for  his  first  born,  "the  delight  of  his  exist- 
ence," he  selected  the  touching  lines  of  Henry  Kirke 
White,  and  adopted  that  alteration  of  them  which 
makes  them  so  tenderly  applicable  to  the  graves  of 
children.  He  did  not  carve  on  the  marble,  "  These 
ashes,  too,  this  little  dust,"  i  but 

These  ashes  few,  this  little  dust, 

Our  Father's  care  shall  keep, 
Till  the  last  angel  rise  and  break 

The  long  and  dreary  sleep. 

This  incident  recalls  the  suggestion  already  made, 
that  an  altered  form  often  acquires  more  sacredness 
than  the  original.  More  precious  associations  may 
cluster  around  a  common  reading  than  around  the  first 
one.  The  same  reason,  then,  which  exists  ordinarily 
for  avoiding  changes  of  the  original  text,  becomes 
occasionally  a  reason  for  retaining  them  when  made. 
Worshippers  have  become  not  only  wonted  to  them, 

1  See  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  H.  1276. 


FAVORITE  ALTEEATIONS.  167 

but  also  attached  to  them,  and  are  pained,  shocked, 
by  a  return  to  the  pristine  phrases  which  seem  to 
them  like  innovations.  What  is  old  in  reality,  is  new 
to  them.  The  love  of  novelty  in  doctrine,  leads  one 
man  to  revive  an  ancient  but  exploded  error.  The 
prurient  desire  of  change  induces  another  man  to 
adopt  some  antiquated  ecclesiastical  ceremony.  The 
same  fondness  for  innovation  betrays  another  man 
into  the  use  of  old  terms,  which  have  been  so  long 
disused  as  to  appear  like  words  just  coined.  If  we 
should  begin  to  print  the  Bible,  as  it  was  originally 
written,  without  divisions  into  chapters  and  verses,  we 
should  gratify  both  the  love  of  antiquity  and  the  love 
of  novelty,  in  scholars  of  a  peculiar  class ;  but  we 
should  offend  the  majority  of  plain  men,  who  love  the 
Bible  in  its  modern  form.  K  we  should  deviate  from 
the  arbitrary  divisions  made  by  the  monk  Arlott,  or 
Bishop  Langton  of  Canterbury,  in  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, or  by  the  Jew  Mordecai  Nathan  in  the  fifteenth, 
or  by  Robert  Stephens  in  the  sixteenth,  we  might 
improve  their  hallowed  work  ;  but,  by  substituting 
the  accurate  for  the  inaccurate,  we  should  appear  to 
be  innovators,  and  our  emendations  would  not  be 
tolerated  by  the  masses. 

We  often  hear  objections  made  to  certain  changes 
in  a  hymn,  on  the  ground  that  they  break  up  the 
most  cherished  associations,  when  in  fact  the  editor 
of  that  hymn  would  have  restored  the  ancient  text, 
were  it  not  for  the  fear  of  disturbing  the  sacred  mem- 
ories clustering  around  the  established  departure  from 
it.  We  should  not  alter  the  original  line,  says  the 
objector,  because  we  thus  divert  the  pious  mind  from 
the  solemnity  of  worship  to  the  inquiry :  "  Why  have 


168 


FAVORITE  ALTERATIONS. 


my  favorite  words  been  displaced  ?  "  "  We  should 
not  restore  the  original,"  says  the  editor,  "because 
we  thereby  distract  the  attention  of  the  worshipper 
with  criticisms  upon  the  words,  which  appear  to  him 
strange,  and  perhaps  inferior.  The  reasons  for  and 
against  the  accommodated  style,  are  often  nearly 
balanced.  The  balance  may  often  be  struck  in  favor 
of  that  style,  by  the  fact  that  custom  has  sanctioned, 
or  seems  likely  to  sanction  the  altered  form ;  and  that 
a  deviation  from  what  is^  or  is  destined  to  become^ 
the  common  reading  would  give  more  pain  than 
pleasure.  "  Go  now  and  boast  of  all  your  stores.  And 
tell  how  bright  you  shine,"  are  words  which  would 
startle  many  a  worshipper  as  a  novelty  ;  yet  they 
are  the  original  words  of  Watts.  Men  have  be- 
come familiar  with  the  line,  "  Let  the  dark  benighted 
pagan,"  who  would  be  startled  at  the  innovation  of 
the  original  line,  "  Let  the  Indian,  let  the  negro."  It 
is  common  to  condemn  changes  like  the  following, 
but  they  are  adopted  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book, 
partly  for  the  reason  that  a  majority  of  those  who 
will  ever  use  that  manual,  would  be  painfully  dis- 
appointed if  their  favorite  changes  had  not  been  re- 
tained. 


Original. 


How  terrible  thy  glories  he  ! 

How  bright  thine  armies  shine  ! 
Where  is  the  power  that  vies  with 
thee. 

Or  truth  compared  to  thine ! 


Thorns  of  heartfelt  tribulation. 

Cowper. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hyynn  132. 

Great  God  !  how  high  thy  glories  rise  ; 

How  bright  thine  armies  shine  ! 

Where  is  the  power  with  thee  that 

vies, 

Or  truth  compared  to  thine  ! 

(See  also  Presbyterian  0.  S.  Collection, 

Ps.  89.) 

Hymn  964. 
Scenes  of  heartfelt  tribulation. 


FAVORITE   ALTERATIONS. 


169 


Original. 

0  were  I  like  a  feathered  dove, 

And  innocence  had  wings, 
rd  fly,  and  make  a  long  remove, 
etc. 

Their  feet  shall  never  slide  to  fall. 


And  glory  to  th'  eternal  king 
Who  lays  his  fury  by. 


His  loving  kindness  is  so  free, 

—  "  is  so  great "  —  "  is  so  strong,' 

—  "  is  so  good  "  — . 


Be  thou  my  strength  and  righteous- 
ness, 
My  Jesus  and  my  all. 


But  wisdom  shows  a  narrower  path, 
With  here  and  there  a  traveller. 


The   fearful   soul  that  tries  and 
faints. 

And  to  his  heavenly  kingdom  keep 
This  feeble  soul  of  mine. 


Stoop  down  my  thoughts  that  use  to 


While  thine  eternal  thought  moves  on. 
Thine  undisturbed  affairs. 


The  saints  above,  how  great  their 

joys, 
And  bright  their  glories  be. 


A7id  thou,  7nij  God,  whose  piercing 

eye 
Distinct  surveys  each  dark  recess, 
In  these  abstracted  hours  draw  nigh. 

15 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hymn  199. 
Oh  !  were  I  like  some  gentle  dove. 

Soon  would  I  stretch  my  wings. 
And  fly,  and  make  a  long  remove, 
etc. 

Hymn  232. 
Their  steadfast  feet  shall  never  fall. 

Hymn  309. 
And  glory  to  th'  eternal  king 
Who  lays  his  anger  by. 

Hymn  431. 
His  loving  kindness.  Oh  how  free, 
— "Oh  how  great" — "OA  how  strong," 
—  "OA  how  good  "  — . 

Hymn  493. 
Be  thou  my  strength  and  righteous- 
ness, 
My  Saviour  and  my  all. 

Hymn  548. 
But  wisdom  shows  a  narrow  path, 
With  here  and  there  a  traveller. 

Hymn  548. 
The   fearful   soul  that  tires   and 
faints. 

Hymn  1170. 
And  to  his  heavenly  kingdom  take 
This  feeble  soul  of  mine. 

Hymn  1172. 
Stoop  down  my  thoughts  that  used  to 
rise. 

Hymn  142. 
While  thine  etei'nal  thoughts  move  on     \\ 
Thine  undisturbed  affairs.  j/ 

Hymn  1245. 
The  saints  above,  how  great  their 

joys. 
How  bright  their  glories  be  ! 

Hymn  590.  . 

0  thou,  great  God!  whose  piercing    V 
eye  — ^ 

Distinctly  marks  each  deep  retreat,  ^ 

In  these  sequestered  hours  draw  nigh. 


■) 


170 


FAVORITE  ALTERATIONS. 


Obiginal. 

The  eternal  states  of  all  the  dead. 


Dear  Lord,  and  shall  we  ever  lie 
At  this  poor  dying  rate  ? 


And  turn  each  cursM  idol  out 
That  dares  to  rival  thee. 


Yes,  and  I  must  and  will  esteem 
All  things  but  lost  for  Jesus'  sake. 


But  ere  some  fleeting  hour  is  past. 

Watts. 
But  the  best  volume  thou  hast  writ. 


Love  Divine  all  loves  excelling. 
And  on  the  wings  of  aZ^  the  winds. 
Now  Satan  threatens  to  prevail. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hymn  1157. 
The  eternal  state  of  all  the  dead. 

Hymn  462. 
Dear  Lord !  and  shall  we  ever  live 
At  this  poor  dying  rate  ? 

Hymn  698. 
And  turn  the  dearest  idol  out 
That  dares  to  rival  thee. 

Hymn  724. 
Yes  ;  and  I  must  and  will  esteem 
All  things  but  loss  for  Jesus'  sake. 

Hymn  629. 
But  ere  one  fleeting  hour  is  past. 

Hymn  479. 
But  the  blest  volume  thou  hast  writ. 

Hymn  997. 
Love  Divine  all  love  excelling. 


Hymn  124. 
And  on  the  wings  of 


winds. 

Hymn  617. 
Rise,  Sainour !  help  me  to  prevail. 


) 


During  the  last  forty  years,  multitudes  of  American 
and  English  worshippers  have  been  accustomed  to 
the  following  variation  of  one  of  Doddridge's  hymns  ; 
the  variation  making  the  hymn  more  appropriate  to 
public  worship. 


Original  Form. 

3Iy  Saviour,  I  am  thine, 

By  everlasting  bands ; 
3Iy  name,  my  heart,  I  would  resign 

My  soul  is  in  thy  hands. 

To  Thee  I  still  would  cleave 
With  ever-growing  zeal : 

Let  millions  tempt  vie  Clirist  to 
leave, 
They  never  shall  prevail. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Dear  Saviour  !  we  are  thine 

By  everlasting  bands  ; 
Our  hearts,  our  souls,  we  would  resign. 

Entirely  to  thy  hands. 

To  thee  tve  still  would  cleave 
With  ever-growing  zeal ; 

If  millions   tempt  tis   Christ   to 
leave, 
0  let  them  ne'er  prevail !  —' 


FAVORITE  ALTERATIONS. 


171 


Original  Htmn. 

His  Spirit  shall  unite 

My  soul  to  him,  my  Head ; 

Shall  form  me  to  his  image  bright, 
And  teach  his  path  to  tread. 

Death  may;  my  soul  divide 

From  this  abode  of  clay ; 
But  love  shall  keep  me  near  his  side, 

Through  all  the  gloomy  way. 

Since  Christ  and  we  are  one, 
What  should  remain  to  fear  ? 

If  he  in  heaven  hath  fixed  his  throne, 
He  '11  fix  his  members  there. 


Sabbath  Htmn  Book. 

Thy  Spirit  shall  unite 

Our  souls  to  thee,  our  head  ; 

Shall  form  in  us  thine  image  bright. 
And  teach  thy  paths  to  tread. 

Death  may  our  souls  divide 
From  these  abodes  of  clay ; 

But  love  shall  keep  us  near  thy  side. 
Through  all  the  gloomy  way. 

Since  Christ  and  we  are  one. 
Why  should  we  doubt  or  fear  ? 

If  he  in  heaven  has  fixed  his  throne, 
He'll  fix  his  members  there. 


That  indispensable  hymn  of  Dr.  Raffles  :  "  High  in 
yonder  realms  of  light,"  consists  of  forty-eight  lines, 
as  published  by  William  Bengo  Collier  in  1812.  As 
published  by  Dr.  Raffles  himself,  in  1853,  it  consists 
of  thirty-two  lines.  As  it  ordinarily  appears,  in  Eng- 
lish and  American  hymn  books,  it  is  variously  com- 
bined and  altered.  The  following  are  specimen  copies : 


William  Bexgo  Collier's 
Edition  of  1812. 

1 
High  in  yonder  realms  of  light, 

Far  above  these  lower  skies, 
Fair  and  exquisitely  bright, 

Heaven's  unfading  mansions  rise : 
Built  of  pure  and  massy  gold, 

Strong  and  durable  are  they ; 
Deck'd  with  gems  of  worth  untold, 

Subjected  to  no  decay  ! 


Glad  within  these  blest  abodes, 
Dwell  the  raptured  saints  above, 

"Where  no  anxious  care  corrodes, 
Happy  in  Emmanuers  love ! 

Once,  indeed,  like  us  below. 
Pilgrims  in  this  vale  of  tears, 

Torturing  pain  and  heavy  woe. 

Gloomy  doubts,  distressing  fears : 


Dk.  Raffles's  own  Edition 
OF  1853. 


High  in  yonder  realms  of  light, 

Far  above  these  lower  skies, 
Fair  and  exquisitely  bright. 

Heaven's  unfading  mansions  rise ; 
Glad,  within  these  blest  abodes, 

Dwell  the  raptured  saints  above, 
Where  no  anxious  care  corrodes, 

Happy  in  Emmanuel's  love. 


Once  the  big  unbidden  tear. 

Stealing  down  the  furrowed  cheek, 
Told,  in  eloquence  sincere, 

Tales  of  woe  they  could  not  speak; 
But,  these  days  of  weeping  o'er. 

Passed  this  scene  of  toil  and  pain, 
They  shall  feel  distress  no  more, 

Never,  never  weep  again. 


172 


FAVORITE  ALTERATIONS. 


William  Bengo  Collier's 
Edition  of  1812. 


These,  alas  !  full  well  they  knew. 

Sad  companions  of  their  way  : 
Oft  on  them  the  tempest  blew 

Through  the  long,  the  cheerless 
day! 
Oft  their  vileness  they  deplor'd. 

Wills  perverse  and  hearts  untrue, 
Grieved  they  could  not  love  their 
Lord, 

Love  him  as  they  wished  to  do  ! 


Oft  the  big,  unbidden  tear, 

Stealing  down  the  furrow'd  cheeky 
Told  in  eloquence  sincere, 

Tales  of  woe  they  could  not 
speak. 
But  these  days  of  weeping  o'er, 

Past  this  scene  of  toil  and  pain. 
They  shall  feel  distress  no  more, 

Never  —  never  weep  again  ! 


'Mid  the  chorus  of  the  skies, 

'Mid  the  angelic  lyres  above, 
Hark  —  their  songs  melodious  rise. 

Songs  of  praise  to  Jesus'  love  ! 
Happy  spirits !  — ye  are  fled, 

Where  no  grief  can  entrance  find, 
Lull'd  to  rest  the  aching  head, 

Sooth'd  the  anguish  of  the  mind  ! 


All  is  tranquil  and  serene, 

Calm  and  undisturbed  repose, 
There  no  cloud  can  intervene, 

There  no  angry  tempest  blows ! 
Every  tear  is  wiped  away, 

Sighs  no  more  shall  heave  the 
breast; 
Night  is  lost  in  endless  day  — 

Sorrow  —  in  eternal  rest ! 


Dr.  Raffles's  own  Edition 
OF  1853. 


'Mid  the  chorus  of  the  skies, 

'Mid  the  angelic  lyres  above, 
Hark  !  their  songs  melodious  rise, 

Songs  of  praise  to  Jesus'  love  ! 
Happy  spirits  !  ye  are  fled 

Where  no  grief  can  entrance 
find; 
Lulled  to  rest  the  aching  head, 

Soothed  the  anguish  of  the 
mind. 


All  is  tranquil  and  serene. 

Calm  and  undisturbed  repose ; 
There  no  cloud  can  intervene. 

There  no  angry  tempest  blows : 
Every  tear  is  wiped  away, 

Sighs  no  more  shall  heave  the 
breast, 
Night  is  lost  in  endless  day, 

Sorrow  in  eternal  rest. 


Many  worshippers  would  be  shocked  afc 
the  novelty  of  either  of  the  first  stanzas 
given  above  ;  for  the  following  appears  as 
the  first  stanza  in  the  Church  Psalmody, 
the  Presbyterian  Old  School  and  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  Collections;  Nettleton's 
Village  Hymns,  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book, 
and  many  other  manuals. 

High  in  yonder  realms  of  light. 

Dwell  the  raptured  saints  above ; 
Far  beyond  our  feeble  sight, 

Happy  in  Immanuel's  love  : 
Pilgrims  in  this  vale  of  tears, 

Once  they  knew,  like  us  below, 
Gloomy  doubts,  distressing  fears, 

Torturing  pain  and  heavy  woe. 


§  6.   Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  the  Uniformity 
of  Worship. 

A  great  evil  resulting  from  the  alteration  of  hymns 
is,  that  various  forms  are  used  by  various  congrega- 


ALTERATIONS   IN  THE  BIBLE.  173 

tions ;  and  men,  accustomed  to  sing  from  one  manual, 
are  confused  by  the  new  phrases  which  they  find  in 
another  manual ;  and  sometimes  the  same  assembly 
utter,  on  the  same  notes,  different  words,  or  even  dif- 
ferent verses,  and  thus  there  is  no  distinction  of  sound, 
but  "  every-one  hath  a  psalm,"  "  hath  a  tongue,"  "  hath 
an  interpretation."  This  is  an  infelicity,  and  there- 
fore manuals  for  song  should  adopt  the  original,  partly 
because  this  is  more  apt  to  be  the  prevailing,  form  of 
the  lyrics. 

But  exceptions  prove  the  wisdom  of  this  general 
rule.  We  must  not  blame  the  original  collector  of 
the  "  Psalms  of  David,"  even  if  we  adopt  a  com- 
mon theory,  that  he  inserted  the  eighteenth  Psalm  in 
a  form  different  from  the  original,  as  found  in  the 
twenty-second  chapter  of  second  Samuel.  It  has 
been  remarked  by  those  who  believe  that  the  Book 
of  Samuel  contains  the  earliest  copy  of  that  song, 
that  the  first  notable  instance  of  departure  from  the 
original  draught  of  a  sacred  lyric,  was  made  by  the 
editor  of  the  inspired  Psalms.  .  Many  persons  have 
been  "  shocked,"  still  more  have  been  "  confused," 
and  some  have  been  ruinously  prejudiced  against  the 
revealed  word,  by  the  fact  that  the  old  songs  of  the 
temple  are  "  altered,"  when  cited  by  the  apostles  ; 
and  that  the  quotations  made  in  the  New  Testament 
firom  the  Old,  are  often  so  far  "  modified,"  that  it 
is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  recognize  and  iden- 
tify them.  We  believe  that,  in  many  instances,  the 
writers  of  the  New  Testament  quoted  the  "  changed 
form,"  simply  because  it  had  become  more  familiar 
than  the  original  words,  to  the  men  whom  the  apos- 
tles immediately  addressed.  But  the  original  form 
15* 


174  UNIFORMITY   IMPOSSIBLE. 

remains,  and  is  now  better  known,  and  has  become 
far  more  precious  to  many  readers,  than  is  the  Septu- 
agint,  which  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  have 
preferred  to  cite.  There  were  vahd  reasons  for  accom- 
modating the  words  of  the  old  poets  and  prophets 
to  the  times  of  the  new  dispensation.  So  there  were 
valid  reasons  for  giving  us  two  different  versions  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  both  of  them  promoting  an  excel- 
lent end,  although  the  "  uniformity  of  worship  "  is  not 
always  secured  by  them.  In  like  manner,  there  are 
reasons  for  adapting  to  modern  tastes  some  of  the 
ancient  hymns,  notwithstanding  all  the  inconveniences 
which  attend  the  adaptation. 

It  is  an  unwelcome  fact,  that  these  inconveniences 
have  been  incurred  already,  and  they  cannot,  even 
by  our  most  strenuous  effort,  be  remedied  altogether. 
As  the  manuals  for  song  neither  are,  nor  ever  have 
been  exactly  alike,  the  objection  that  changes  in  the 
text  prevent  uniformity  of  worship,  comes,  in  some 
respects,  too  late.  We  regret  to  say,  that  restorations 
to  the  original  sometimes  prevent  this  uniformity.  It 
would  be  a  joy  to  us,  if  all  our  hymn  books  would 
adopt  the  same  version  of  Toplady's  hallowed  lyric : 
"  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me,"  but  the  ensuing  col- 
umns indicate  the  multiplicity  of  changes  that  have 
hopelessly  ingratiated  themselves  into  the  favor  of 
some  admirers  of  the  hymn. 

Lines  Unaltered.  Lines  Altered. 

1 
Kock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me.  [  Kock  of  Ages,  shelter  me. 

\  Dr.  Eippon  and  others- 

Let  me  hide  myself  in  thee  ! 

Let  the  water  and  the  blood  _         ,  ,,.,,.,  ^        ■, 

/  From  thy  wounded  side  which  flowed. 

From  thy  riven  side  which  flowed,    \    ^  ^  Premerian  (OS.)  Col.,  and  others. 

f  From  thy  side  a  heaimg  flood. 

^  Church  Psalmody,  and  others. 


CHANGES   m  TOPLADY'S  HYMN. 


175 


Lines  Unalteeed. 


Be  of  sin  the  double  cure, 

Cleanse  me  from  its  guilt  and  power. 


Not  the  labors  of  my  hands 
Can  fulfil  thy  law's  demands 


Could  my  zeal  no  respite  know, 
Could  my  tears  forever  flow, 
All  for  sin  could  not  atone  : 


Thou  must  save,  and  thou  alone. 


Lines  Altered. 

Be  of  sin  and  fear  the  cure. 

Save  from  wrath  and  make  me  pure. 

Church  Psalmody. 

Be  of  sin  the  perfect  cure. 

Save  me,  Lord,  and  make  me  pure. 

Fresbyterian  (S.S.)  CoL 

Cleanseyrom  guilt  and  grace  ensure. 

Kempthome. 


Should  my  zeal  no  languor  know. 
Should  my  tears  forever  flow, 
This  for  sin  could  not  atone. 

Church  Psalmodij,  Presbyterian 
(N.S.)  Collection,  and  others. 

May  my  zeal  no  respite  know. 
May  my  heait  icith  love  o'ej-flow. 
But  can  this  for  sin  atone  ? 

Kempthome. 

This  for  sin  could  ne'er  atone. 

Connecticut  Col. 

This  for  sin  could  not  atone. 

Church  Psalmody. 


[ 


Nothing  in  my  hand  I  bring ; 

Simply  to  thy  cross  I  cling ; 
Naked,  come  to  thee  for  dress  ; 
Helpless,  look  to  thee  for  grace ; 

Foul,  I  to  thy  fountain  fly  ; 

Wash  me,  Saviour,  or  I  die  ! 

4 
"While  I  draw  this  fleeting  breath, 

When  my  eye-strings  break  in  death, 


When  T  soar  to  ivorlds  unknown, 
See  thee  on  thy  judgment  throne,— 


Rock  of  Ages  !  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  thee. 


In  my  hand  no  price  I  bring. 

Church  Psalmody,  Presbyterian  (N.  S.)  Col. 


Vile,  I  to  the  fountain  fly. 

Presbyterian  (O.S.)  Collection,  and  others. 


When  my /jear^strings  break  in  death. 

William  Collier,  1812. 

When  my  eyelids  sink  in  death. 

Kempthome's  Selection,  2d  ed.,  1813. 

When  my  eyelids  close  in  death. 

Pickersteth's  Christian  Psalmody. 

When  I  soar  through  tracks  unknown. 

Kempthorme. 

When  I  rise  to  worlds  unknown,     . 
And  behold  thee  on  thy  throne. 

Church  Psalmody,  Presbyterian  (X.  S.)  Col. 

Rock  of  Ages,  shelter  me. 

Dr.  Sippon,  and  others. 


) 


176  "my  eye-strings  break." 

A  commentary  on  church-song  lies  hidden  in  these 
columns.  They  develop  the  attachment  of  men  to  an 
ode,  and  also  their  conviction  that  something  is  wrong 
in  it  somewhere.  It  must  be  confessed,  that  several 
of  the  above-named  alterations,  unwise  as  they  may 
have  been,  were  still  the  means  of  ushering  Toplady's 
hymn  into  common  use.  It  was  not  a  favorite  ode 
until  these  changes  were  introduced  into  it,  in  1826, 
by  an  Episcopal  collection,  which  was  imitated  by  the 
Church  Psalmody,  the  Connecticut  and  several  other 
Manuals.  It  must  also  be  confessed,  that  one  of  the 
alterations  (the  only  positive  change  adopted  in  the 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book)  is  highly  important.  We  have 
heard  a  defence  of  Toplady's  line  :  "  When  my  eye- 
strings  break  in  death,"  on  the  ground  that,  in  the 
article  of  death  there  is  actually  emitted  from  the  eye 
a  cracking-  sound,  as  if  the  muscles  and  tendons  were 
suddenly  snapped  and  broken.  But  even  if  this  were 
true,  the  songs  of  Zion  are  not  anatomical  treatises, 
and  should  not  -  divert  the  worshipper's  mind  from 
sacred  to  scientific  themes.  Still,  there  are  admirers 
of  the  original  text,  who  will  not  give  up  Toplady's 
words  for  any  other.  There  are  admirers  of  Collier 
and  Watts,  who  will  prefer  the  breaking  of  the  heart- 
strings  to  that  of  the  eye-strings  ;  for  Dr.  William 
Bengo  Collier  sings,  in  his  977th  hymn  :  "  When  the 
strings  of  my  heart  I  feel  break,^^  and  Dr.  Watts 
writes ;  "  Then  will  ye  hear  my  heart-strings  break " 
(altered  by  the  Church  Psalmist,  Hymn  97,  into : 
^^  And  while  ye  hear  my  heart-strings  break  ^^).  There 
are  others  who  will  choose  the  form  adopted  in  the 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book :  "  When  my  eyelids  close  in 
death."     Here,  as  elsewhere,  entire  agreement  is  de- 


ALTERATIONS  BY  DR.  WATTS.  177 

sirable,  but  is  absolutely  unattainable.  The  plea  for 
a  uniform  text  is  good,  but  its  force  is  impaired  by  the 
fact,  that  the  plea  comes  a  century  after  it  could  serve 
its  end.  Let  any  man  compare  the  476th  lyric  in  the 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  with  the  same  hymn  as  given 
first  by  Charles  Wesley,  then  by  Augustus  Toplady ; 
and  he  will  be  satisfied  that  the  spell  of  an  agreement 
in  the  same  form,  was  broken  long  ago,  and  cannot 
now  be  restored.  There  are  two  things  of  which  we 
must  never  complain :  first,  what  we  can  help  ;  second, 
what  we  cannot. 


§  7.   The  Principle  of  CJianges  in  the  Text  lies  at  the 
Basis  of  Modern  English  Hymnology, 

More  than  twenty  English  versions  of  Hebrew 
Psalms  appeared  before  the  time  of  Dr.  Watts.  They 
were  written  by  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  Christopher  Hat- 
ton,  H.  Dodd,  Dr.  Henry  King,  Miles  Smith,  Dr. 
Samuel  Woodford,  John  Milton,  William  Barton, 
Dr.  Simon  Ford,  Sir  Richard  Blackmore,  Dr.  John 
Patrick,  Mr.  Addison,  Archdeacon  Daniel,  Dr.  Joseph 
Trapp,  Dr.  Walter  Harte,  Dr.  Broome,  George  Sandys, 
Sir  John  Denham,  and  others.  It  was  the  aim  of 
their  versions  to  represent,  exactly,  the  spirit  and  style 
of  the  Psalter  ;  but  every  one  of  them  frequently, 
though  unintentionally,  failed  in  the  correctness  of  its 
translation.  The  Psalter,  as  versified  by  Dr.  Watts, 
introduced  a  new  era  into  Enghsh  psalmody,  and  con- 
stitutes the  basis  of  our  modern  hymnological  litera- 
ture. But  he  has  designedly  "  altered "  the  Psalms 
of  David.  "  I  could  never  persuade  myself,"  he  writes, 
"  that  the  best  Way  to  raise  a  devout  Frame,  in  plain 


178  ALTERATIONS   BY  DR.  WATTS. 

Christians,  was  to  bring  a  King  or  a  Captain  into 
their  Churches,  and  let  him  lead  and  dictate  the  Wor- 
ship, in  his  own  Style  of  royalty,  or  in  the  language 
of  a  field  of  Battel."  ^  Accordingly,  we  find  such 
notes  as  the  following  appended,  frequently,  to  his 
Imitations  of  the  Psalms. 

Psalm  1.  "In  this  work  I  have  often  borrowed  a  Line  or  two 
from  the  New  Testament ;  that  the  excellent  and  inspired  Com- 
posures of  the  Jewish  Psalmist  may  be  brightened  by  the  clearer 
Discoveries  of  the  Gospel." 

Psalm  5.  "  Stanzas  2  and  5.  Where  any  just  occasion  is  given 
to  make  mention  of  Christ  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  I  refuse  it  not ;  and 
I  am  persuaded  David  would  not  have  refused  it,  had  he  lived 
under  the  Gospel ;  nor  St.  Paul,  had  he  written  a  Psalm  Book." 

Psalm  7.  "In  this  Psalm  I  have  not  exactly  followed  every 
single  Verse  of  the  Psalmist,  but  have  endeavored  to  contract  the 
Substance  of  it  into  fewer  lines,  yet  not  without  a  regard  to  the 
litteral  Sense  and  Words  also,  as  will  appear  by  the  Comparison." 

Psalm  14.  "  Several  Verses  of  this  Psalm  are  cited  by  the 
Apostle,  (Romans  3:10,  etc.)  to  shew  the  universal  Corruption  of 
human  Nature,  wherefore  I  have  brought  more  of  the  Apostle's 
Words  there  used  into  the  4th  and  5th  Stanzas  here,  and  concluded 
this  part  of  the  Psakn  agreeably  to  St.  Paul's  design." 

Psalm  35.  "  Stanza  6.  Among  the  Imprecations  that  David  uses 
against  his  Adversaries,  in  this  Psalm,  I  have  adventured  to  turn 

'  This  quotation  is  made  from  page  xiii  of  the  first  edition  of 
Watts's  Psalms.  It  was  printed  in  London  "  for  J.  Clark,  at  the  Bible 
and  Crown  in  the  Poultry:  R.  Ford,  at  the  Angel  in  the  Poultry,  and  R. 
Cruttenden,  at  the  Bible  and  Three  Crowns  in  Cheapside.  1719."  The 
copy  of  this  edition  now  lying  before  us  was  a  presentation  copy  of  the 
author  himself,  and  contains  his  autograph  on  the  blank  leaf :  "  To 
y®  Rev"^  M'  Stinton.  —  I.  Watts."  From  this  copy  the  notes  printed  on 
this,  and  the  following  pages  are  extracted. 


ALTERATIONS  BY  DR.  WATTS.  179 

the  Edge  of  them  away  from  Personal  Enemies,  against  the  implaca- 
ble Enemies  of  God  in  the  World. 

"  Stanzas  7  and  8.  Agreeably  to  the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel,  I  have 
here  further  mollified  these  Imprecations  by  a  charitable  distinction 
and  Petition  for  their  Souls,  which  Spirit  of  Evangelic  Charity 
appears  so  conspicuous  in  the  12th,  13th,  and  14th  verses  of  the 
Psalm,  that  I  could  not  forbear  to  form  them  into  a  short,  dis- 
tinct Hymn,  enlarging  on  that  Glorious  Character  of  a  Christian  — 
Love  to  our  Enemies  —  commanded  so  particularly,  and  so  divinely 
exemplified  by  Christ  himself." 

Psabn  37.  "This  long  Psalm  abounds  with  useful  Instructions 
and  Incouragements  to  Piety,  but  the  Verses  are  very  much 
unconnected  and  independent  ;  Therefore  I  have  contracted  and 
transposed  them  so  as  to  reduce  them  to  three  Hymns  of  a  mod- 
erate length,  and  with  some  connection  of  the  sense." 

Psalm  39.  "  I  have  not  confined  myself,  here,  to  the  Sense  of 
the  Psalmist;  but  have  taken  occasion,  from  the  three  first  Verses, 
to  write  a  short  Hymn  on  the  Government  of  the  Tongue." 

Psalm  40.  "  If  David  had  written  this  Psalm  in  the  Days  of  the 
Gospel,  surely  he  would  have  given  a  much  more  express  and  par- 
ticular account  of  the  Sacrifice  of  Christ,  as  he  hath  done  of  his 
preciching,  vs.  9,  10,  and  enlarged,  as  Paul  does  in  Heb.  10:4,  etc., 
where  this  Psalm  is  cited.  I  have  done  no  more,  therefore,  in  this 
paraphrase,  than  what  I  am  persuaded  the  Psalmist  himself  would 
have  done  in  the  time  of  Christianity." 

Psalm  41.  "  The  positive  Blessings  of  long  Life,  Health,  Recov- 
ery, and  Security  in  the  Midst  of  Dangers,  being  so  much  promised 
in  the  Old  Testament,  and  so  little  in  the  New,  I  have  given  a  Turn 
at  the  end  of  this  Hymn  to  discourage  a  too  confident  Expectation 
of  these  temporal  things,  and  lead  the  soul  to  heavenly  Hopes,  more 
agreeable  to  the  Gospel." 

Psalm  55.  "I  have  left  out  some  whole  Psalms,  and  several 
parts  of  others  that  tend  to  fill  the  Mind  with  overwhelming  sor- 
rows, or  sharp  resentment ;  neither  of  which  are  so  well  suited  to 
the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel,  and  therefore  the  particular  Complaints 
of  David  against  Achitophel,  here,  are  entirely  omitted." 

Psalm  67.  "  Having  translated  the  Scene  of  this  Psalm  to  Great 
Britain,  I  have  borrovv'd  a  devout  and  poetical  Wish  for  the  Happi- 


180  ALTERATIONS  BY  DR.  WATTS. 

ness  of  my  native  Land,  from  Zech.  2:5,  and  offered  it  up  in  the 
2d  Stanza :  '  I  "will  be  a  Wall  of  Fire  round  about,  and  will  be  the 
Glory  in  the  IMidst  of  her." 

Psabn  69.  "In  both  the  Metres  of  this  Psalm  I  have  apply 'd  it 
to  the  Sufferings  of  Christ,  as  the  New  Testament  gives  sufficient 
Reason  by  several  Citations  of  this  Psalm :  From  which  Places  I 
have  borrowed  the  Particulars  of  his  Sufferings  for  our  Sins,  his 
Scourging  the  Buyers  and  Sellers  out  of  the  Temple,  his  Crucifixion, 
etc.  But  I  have  omitted  the  dreadful  Imprecations  on  his  Enemies, 
except  what  is  incerted  in  this  last  Stanza  in  the  Way  of  a  Pre- 
diction or  Threatening." 

Psalm  73.  "  This  Psalm  is  a  most  noble  Composure  ;  the  Design 
and  Model  of  it  is  divinely  beautiful,  and  an  admirable  Pattern  for 
a  Poet  to  copy.  But  it  being  one  single  Scheme  of  Thought,  I  was 
obliged  to  contract  it,  that  it  might  be  sung  at  once  ;  though  the 
Dignity  and  Beauty  of  the  Ode  suffers  much  by  this  JNIeans." 

Psalm  85.  "  If  some  Readers  should  suppose  the  English  Verse 
here  to  mistake  the  Hebrew  sense,  yet  perhaps  these  Evangelical 
Allusions  to  the  Words  of  the  Jewish  Psahnist  may  be  as  agreeable 
and  useful  to  the  Christian  worshipper." 

Psalm  87.  "I  have  explained  the  Second  Verse  at  large,  and 
transposed  the  last.  For  Singers  and  Players  on  Instruments,  I 
have  introduced  Angels  with  Men." 

Psalm  92.  "  Stanza  6.  Rejoicing  in  the  destruction  of  our  per- 
sonal Enemies,  is  not  so  evangelical  a  practice,  therefore  I  have 
given  the  11th  verse  of  this  Psalm  another  Turn." 

Psabn  104.  "  Stanza  5.  Tho'  I  am  persuaded  the  Psalmist 
speaks  here  of  the  first  Formation  of  the  Sea  and  Mountains,  where 
the  Waters  of  the  Chaos  were  separated  from  the  Earth,  yet  the 
People  more  easily  understand  it  of  Noah's  Flood,  and  therefore  I 
have  indulg'd  such  a  Paraphrase  as  is  capable  of  that  sense." 

Psalm  112.  "  Many  of  the  Blessings  of  Wealth,  and  Grandeur 
and  Temporal  good  Things  that  were  the  portion  of  a  Good  Man 
and  his  Children  under  the  Old  Testament,  I  have  here  abridged 
agreeable  to  the  New,  which  foretells  rather  Temporal  Afflictions, 
and  Promises  everlasting  Rewards." 

Psalm  149.  "  This  Psalm  seems  to  be  written  to  encourage  the 
Jews  in  their  Wars  against  the  Heathen  Princes  of  Canaan,  who 


ALTERATIONS   BY  DR.  WATTS.  181 

"were  Divinely  Sentenced  to  Destruction.  But  the  four  last  Verses 
of  it  have  been  too  much  abused  in  later  Ages  to  promote  Sedition 
and  Disturbance  in  the  State,  so  that  I  choose  to  refer  this  Honour 
that  is  here  given  to  all  the  Saints  to  the  Day  of  Judgment,  accord- 
ing to  those  expressions  in  the  New  Testament,  —  Mat.  19  :  28,  'Ye 
shall  sit  on  twelve  Thrones,  Judging  the  Tribes,'  etc. ;  1  Cor.  6  : 3, 
'We  shall  Judge  Angels';  Rev.  2  :  27  and  3  :  21,  'I  will  give 
him  power  over  the  Nations ;  he  shall  rule  them  with  a  Rod  of 
Iron,fc  etc.'* 

It  is  common  to  speak  of  Dr.  Watts's  "  Imitations  " 
as  model  psalms.  They  are  such,  and  they  ratify  the 
principle  of  occasional  departures  from  the  main  text. 
It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  even  although  he  is  not 
condemned,  when  he  exchanges  the  idioms  of  David 
for  more  prosaic  idioms,  his  editors  are  accused  of 
trespassing  on  vested  rights,  when  they  reinstate  the 
inspired  phrases  in  the  place  of  Dr.  Watts's  acknowl- 
edged innovations.  They  are  accused  of  injustice 
when  they  substitute  the  biblical  phrase  :  "  Within  the 
tents  of  sin,"  for  Watts's  drawling  line :  "  In  pleasur- 
able sin."  Although  many  of  his  departures  from  the 
sacred  text  are  needed,  yet  some  of  them  are  unwar- 
rantable. What  and  where  would  be  the  end  of  the 
obloquy  poured  on  a  modern  editor,  who  should  in- 
terpolate into  one  of  Watts's  hymns,  such  stanzas 
as  the  following,  which  he  has  thrust  into  the  old 
Hebrew  lyric  ?  In  that  magnificent  eighth  Psalm, 
which  begins  :  *'  O  Lord,  our  God,  how  wondrous 
great.  Is  thine  exalted  name,"  we  find  the  sixth  stanza 
devoted  to  one  of  our  Lord's  miracles  : 

The  waves  lay  spread  beneath  his  feet ; 

And  fish  at  his  command, 
Bring  their  large  shoals  to  Peter's  net, 

Bring  tribute  tp  his  hand. 

16 


182  CHANGES  IN  FOREIGN  HYMNS. 

As  the  prince  of  English  psalmists  has  changed 
not  barely  the  words,  but  also  the  images  and  the 
ideas  of  the  text  which  he  versified,  so  have  succeed- 
ing lyrists  modified  the  style  of  the  hymns  transfused 
by  them  from  the  Greek,  Latin,  German,  French, 
and  Welch  tongues.  Luther's  imitation  of  the  old 
"  Media  in  Vita,"  and  his  looser  imitation  of  the 
"  Veni  Sancte  Spiritus  ; "  the  versions  of  the  hymns 
of  Gregory,  Ambrose,  Bernard,  Thomas  von  Caelano ; 
Wesley's  translations  from  Gerhard  and  other  Ger- 
man lyrists,  abound  with  deviations  from  the  original 
text.  The  favorite  Ijrric  :  "  Guide  me,  O  thou  great 
Jehovah,"  is  rather  more  distant  from  the  old  Welsh, 
than  Walter  Scott's  lines :  "  That  day  of  wrath,  that 
dreadful  day,"  are  different  from  the  old  "  Dies  Irae." 
All  the  English  translations  of  Gerhard's  passion 
hymn :  "  O  sacred  head,  now  wounded,"  differ  from 
the  original  German,  as  that,  in  its  turn,  is  diverse 
from  the  Latin  ode  on  which  it  is  founded.  In  fact 
a  literal  translation  of  any,  and  especially  an  ancient, 
poem,  must  be  too  artificial  and  frigid  for  an  Eng- 
lish or  American  worshipper.  As  our  versions  of 
foreign  lyrics  are  necessarily  accommodated  to  our 
Anglo-Saxon  tastes,  so  we  have  several  favorite  songs 
founded  on  antique  English  poems.  They  disagree 
unnecessarily,  sometimes,  with  the  stanzas  from  which 
they  are  derived  ;  but  even  this  disagreement  illus- 
trates the  truth  that  our  hymnody,  as  well  as  psalm- 
ody, has  adopted  the  fundamental  principle  of  depart- 
ing from  the  original  text.  The  hymn  extracted  from 
Milton's  poem  on  the  Morning  of  Christ's  Nativity, 
is  a  signal  example  of  this  free  accommodation.  An 
old  English. poem,  the  manuscript  of  which  is  now  in 


JERUSALEM!    MY  HAPPY  HOME! 


183 


the  British  Museum,  written  we  know  not  when, — 
probably,  however,  by  some  devout  papist,  —  is  itself 
founded  on  the  twenty-second  chapter  of  John's  Rev- 
elation, and  is  the  basis  on  which  several  recent 
hymns  have  been  composed.  We  subjoin  the  orig- 
inal, and  three  of  the  "  modified  "  copies. 


A  Version  made  by  F.  B.  P. 
To  the  tune  of  Diana. 


Jerusalem  !  my  happy  home ! 

When  shall  I  come  to  thee, 
"When  shall  my  sorrows  have  an  end, 

Thy  joys  when  shall  I  see  ? 

2 
O  happy  harbor  of  the  saints, 

O  sweet  and  pleasant  soil ; 
In  thee  no  sorrow  may  be  found, 

No  grief,  no  care,  no  toil. 

3 

In  thee  no  sickness  may  be  seen, 
No  hurt,  no  ache,  no  sore ; 

There  is  no  death,  no  ugly  de'il. 
There 's  life  for  evermore. 


No  dampish  mist  is  seen  in  thee. 
No  cold  nor  darksome  night ; 

There  every  soul  shines  as  the  sun. 
There  God  himself  gives  light. 

5 
There  lust  and  lucre  cannot  dwell, 

There  envy  bears  no  sway. 
There  is  no  hunger,  heat,  nor 
cold, 
But  pleasure  every  way. 

6 
Jerusalem !  Jerusalem ! 

God  grant  I  once  may  see 
Thy  endless  joys,  and  of  the  same 

Partaker  aye  to  be. 

7 
Thy  walls  are  made  of  precious 
stones. 
Thy  bulwarks  diamonds  square, 
Thy  gates  are  of  right  orient  pearl, 
Exceeding  rich  and  rare. 


Thy  turrets  and  thy  pinnacles 
With  carbuncles  do  shine  ; 

The  very  streets  are  paved  with  gold, 
Surpassing  clear  and  fine. 

9 

Thy  houses  are  of  ivory, 
Thy  windows  crystal  clear, 

Thy  tiles  are  made  of  beaten  gold ; 
O  God,  that  I  were  there ! 

10 

Within  thy  gates  no  thing  doth  come 
That  is  not  passing  clean  ; 

No  spider's  web,  no  dirt,  no  dust. 
No  filth  may  there  be  seen. 

11 

Ah,  my  sweet  home,  Jerusalem ! 

Would  God  I  were  in  thee. 
Would  God  my  woes  were  at  an  end, 

Thy  joys  that  I  might  see. 

12 

Thy  saints  are  crowned  with  glory 
great. 

They  see  God  face  to  face, 
They  triumph  still,  they  still  rejoice, 

Most  happy  is  their  case. 

13 

We  that  are  here  in  banishment 

Continually  do  moan ; 
We  sigh  and  sob,  we  weep  and  wail, 

Perpetually  we  groan. 

14 

Our  sweet  is  mixed  with  bitter  gall. 

Our  pleasure  is  but  pain. 
Our  joys  scarce  last  the  looking 
on. 

Our  sorrows  still  remain. 


184 


JERUSALEM!    MY  HAPPY  HOME! 


15 

But  there  they  live  in  such  delight, 
Such  pleasure,  and  such  play, 

As  that  to  them  a  thousand  years. 
Doth  seem  as  yesterday. 

16 
Thy  vineyards   and   thy  orchards 
are 
Most  beautiful  and  fair, 
Full  furnishe'd  with  trees   and 
fruits, 
Most  wonderful  and  rare. 

17 

Thy  gardens  and  thy  gallant  walks 

Continually  are  green ; 
There  grow  such  sweet  and  pleasant 
flowers, 

As  nowhere  else  are  seen. 

18 
There 's  nectar  and  ambrosia  made, 

There 's  musk  and  civet  sweet ; 
There  many  a  fair  and  dainty  drug 

Are  trodden  under  feet. 

19 

There  cinnamon,  there  sugar  grows. 
There  nard  and  balm  abound ; 

"What  tongue  can  tell,  or  heart  con- 
ceive 
The  joys  that  there  are  found  1 

20 
Quite  through  the  streets,  with  silver 
sound, 
The  flood  of  life  doth  flow; 
Upon  whose  banks,  on  every  side, 
The  wood  of  life  doth  grow. 


21 

There  trees  for  evermore  bear  fruit, 
And  evermore  do  spring ; 

There  evermore  the  angels  sit. 
And  evermore  do  sing. 

22 
There  David  stands  with  harp  in 
hand, 
As  master  of  the  quire ; 
Ten  thousand  times  that  man  were 
blest 
That  might  this  music  hear. 

23 

Our  lady  sings  Magnificat, 
With  tune  surpassing  sweet, 

And   all  the  virgins   bear  their 
parts, 
Sitting  above  her  feet. 

24 

Te  Deum  doth  Saint  Ambrose  sing, 
Saint  Austin  doth  the  like ; 

Old  Simeon  and  Zachary 
Have  not  their  song  to  seek. 

25 
There  Magdalene  hath  left  her 
moan. 
And  cheerfully  doth  sing, 
With  blessed  saints,  whose  harmony 
In  every  street  doth  ring. 

26 
Jerusalem,  my  happy  home ! 

Would  God  I  were  in  thee  ; 
Would  God  my  woes  were  at  an 
end. 
Thy  joys  that  I  might  see ! 


One  Imitation  of  the  Original  Htmn. 


1 

Jerusalem  !  my  happy  home ! 

Name  ever  dear  to  me ! 
When  shall  my  labors   have  an 
end 

In  joy,  and  peace,  and  thee  ? 

2 

When  shall  these  eyes  thy  heaven- 
built  walls 

And  pearly  gates  behold  ? 
Thy  bulwarks  with  salvation  strong 

And  streets  of  shining  gold  ? 


3 

There  happier  bowers  than  Eden's 
bloom. 
Nor  sin  nor  sorrow  know ! 
Blest  seats  !   through  rude  and 
stormy  scenes 
I  onward  press  to  you. 

4 
Why  shoiild  I  shrink  at  pain  and  woe. 

Or  feel  at  death  dismay  ? 
I  've  Canaan's  goodly  land  in  view, 

And  realms  of  endless  day. 


JERUSALEM!    MY  HAPPY  HOME! 


185 


Apostles,  martyrs,  prophets  there, 
Around  my  Saviour  stand, 

And  soon  my  friends  in  Christ 
below, 
Will  join  the  glorious  band. 


Jerusalem !  my  happy  home  ! 

My  soul  still  pants  for  thee ; 
Then   shall  my  labors   have 
end. 

When  I  thy  joys  shall  see. 


A  Secoxd  Imitation  of  the  Original  Htmn. 


1 

Jerusalem  !  my  happy  home ! 

Name  ever  dear  to  me ! 
When  shall  my  labors  have  an  end. 

In  joy  and  peace  in  thee  1 

2 
Oh !  when,  thou  city  of  my  God, 

Shall  I  thy  courts  ascend. 
Where  evermore  the  angels  sing,* 

Where  Sabbaths  have  no  end  1 


There  happier  bowers  than  Eden's 
bloom, 
Nor  sin  nor  sorrow  know ; 


Blest  seats  !  through  rude  and  stormy 
scenes, 
I  onward  press  to  you. 

4 
Why  should  I  shiink  at  pain  and 
woe "? 
Or  feel  at  death  dismay  1 
I  've  Canaan's  goodly  laild  in  view, 
And  realms  of  endless  day. 

5 

Jerusalem,  my  glorious  home  ! 

My  soul  still  pants  for  thee ; 
Then  shall  my  labors  have  an  end. 

When  I  thy  joys  shall  see. 


A  Third  Imitation  of  the  Original. 


1 

Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 

I  hear  those  tones  of  love 
Resounding  from  thy  mansions  fair. 

And  calling  me  above. 
2 
When  shall  mine  eyes  thy  jasper 
walls 

And  gates  of  pearl  behold  ; 
Thy  bulwarks  Avith  salvation  strong, 

And  streets  of  shining  gold  ? 
3 
Apostles,  prophets,  martyrs  there 

Shall  round  the  Saviour  stand. 
With  all  Avho  in  his  faith  depart,  — 

One  great  and  goodly  band. 


There  all  the  saintly  company 
Who  followed  Christ  the  Lord, 

Shall  evermore  in  anthems  high 
His  saving  strength  record. 

5 

Faint  not,  then.  0  my  soul,  at  pain, 
Nor  feel  at  death  dismay; 

Let   hope  of  Salem's   heavenly 
peace 
Thy  grief  and  fear  allay. 

6 
Rejoice,  and  with  hosannas  laud 

Thy  blest  Redeemer  King ; 
To  him  who  reigns  on  Sion's  bill 

In  strains  of  gladness  sing. 


There  is  no  question  that,  in  several  particulars,  the 
original  of  these  hymns  is  better  than  either  and  all 

'  Montgomery's  line  was  "  Where  congregations  ne'er  break  up." 
The  alteration  is  a  nearer  confonnity  to  the  original.  See  stanza  21. 
Montgomery's  line  is  also  too  prosaic.  See  Professor  Edwards's  criti- 
cism on  it,  in  his  Memoir  and  Writings,  Vol.  I.  p.  145. 

16* 


186         USAGE  IN  FAVOR  OF  CHANGES. 

of  the  abridgments  and  imitations ;  yet,  for  various 
reasons,  the  original  cannot  be  introduced  into  our 
hymn  books.  Not  only  private  hymns,  but  also  the 
standard  psalms  of  the  English  church,  began  to  be 
altered  very  soon  after  they  were  printed.  The  first 
edition  of  the  entire  Psalter  versified,  and  authorized 
to  be  sung  in  the  church  of  England,  was  published 
in  1562,  and  contains  in  the  very  first  stanza  of  the 
first  psalm,  a  variation  from  Sternhold's  original  text, 
printed  in  1549,  and  1552.  The  edition  of  1696 
exhibits  numerous  variations  from  that  of  1562,  and 
the  edition  of  1726  adds  yet  more  and  greater  amend- 
ments. The  version  by  Tate  and  Brady  supplanted 
that  by  Sternhold  and  Hopkins ;  but  this  new  version 
never  maintained  a  uniform  text.  What  is  true  of 
the  hymns,  is  also  true  of  the  tunes ;  they  have  all 
been  varied  to  meet  the  real,  or  the  imagined  wants 
of  various  ages.  Some  of  the  amendments  have 
been  ill-advised ;  but  the  practice  and  the  theory  of 
the  church  have  been  in  favor  of  some  innovations 
adapted  to  new  exigencies. 


§  8.  TJie  principle  of  Deviating  from  another's  Text, 
is  substantially  the  principle  of  Quoting  another'^s 
Words. 

When  we  make  a  quotation  from  a  writer,  we 
need  not  quote  everything  which  that  writer  has 
affirmed.  We  may  cite  one-half,  or  one-eighth,  or 
one  verse,  or  one  clause  of  the  one  hundred  and 
nineteenth  psalm,  without  imposing  on  ourselves  an 
obligation  to  repeat  the  whole.  We  may  quote  the 
entire    fifteen    stanzas    of    Tate    and    Brady's    lyric  : 


QUOTATIONS  BY  DR.   WATTS. 


187 


"  Let  all  the  land  with  shouts  of  joy,"  etc.,  or  we 
may  quote  only  four  of  them,  or  only  four  couplets, 
or  four  phrases,  or  four  words.  If  the  substance  of 
the  psaJm  be  thus  derived  from  those  veteran  hymn- 
ologists,  the  whole  may,  in  an  undiscriminating  style, 
be  ascribed  to  them,  while  it  is  understood  that,  in 
stricter  speech,  there  must  be  some  exceptions  and 
abatements.  We  often  pay  honor  to  Watts,  as  the 
original  versifier  of  the  psalms  and  hymns  ascribed 
to  him.  But  he  has  frequently  and  frankly  confessed 
his  obligation  to  preceding  writers.  In  the  following 
specimens  of  his  quotations,  he  has  taken  more  lib- 
erties with  his  predecessors,  than  many  of  his  own 
editors  have  taken  with  him. 


Tate  and  Brady's  Version  of 
THE  21sT  Psalm. 


The  king,    0  Lord,  with  songs  of 
praise 

Shall  in  thy  strength  rejoice, 
With  thy  salvation  crown' d,  shall  raise 

To  heaven  his  cheerful  voice. 

5 

Thy   sure   defence,  through   nations 
round, 

Has  spread  his  glorious  name  ; 
And  his  successful  actions  crown'd 

With  majesty  and  fame. 

7 
Because  the  king  on  God  alone 

For  timely  aid  relies  ; 
His  mercy  still  sup/jorts  his  throne, 

And  all  his  wants  supplies. 

8 
But  righteous  Lord,  thy  stubborn  foes  ^ 

Shall  feel  thy  heavy  hand; 
Thy  vengeful  arm  shall  find  out  those 

That  hate  thy  mild  command. 


Dr.  Watts's  Version  of  the 
21  ST  Psalm. 

The  king,   0  Lord,  with  songs  of 
praise. 

Shall  in  thy  strength  rejoice ; 
And  blest  with  thy  salvation,  raise 

To  heaven  his  cheerful  voice. 

2 

Thy  sure  defence  thro'  nations  round 
Has  spread  his  glorious  name  ; 

And  his  successful  actions  crown'd 
With  majesty  and  fame. 


Then  let  the  king  on  God  alone 

For  timely  aid  rely ; 
His  mercy  shall  support  the  throne, 

And  all  our  wants  supply. 

4 

But  righteous  Lord,  his  stubborn  foes 
Shall  feel  thy  dreadful  hand; 

Thy  vengeful  arm  shall  find  out  those 
That  hate  his  mild  command. 


*  The  foes  of  God  in  Tate  and  Brady's  version,  are  the  foes  of  King 
Greorge  I.  in  Watts. 


188 


QUOTATIONS   BY   DR.   WATTS. 


Tate  and  Brady's  Version  of 
THE  21  ST  Psalm. 

9 
When  thou  against  them  dost  engage, 

Thy  just,  but  dreadful,  doom 
Shall  like  a  glowing  oven's  rage, 

Their  hopes  and  them  consume. 

13 

Thus,  Lord,  thy  wondrous  strength 
disclose, 
And  thus  exalt  thy  fame; 
Whilst  we  glad  songs  of  praise  com- 
pose 
To  thy  Almighty  name.^ 


Dk.  Watts's  Version  op  the 
21st  Psalm. 


When  thou  against  them  dost  engage 
Thy  just,  but  dreadful,  doom; 

Shall  like  a  fiery  oven^s  rage. 
Their  hopes  and  them  consume. 


Thus,  Lord,  thy  wondrous  power  de- 
clare, 
And  thus  exalt  thy  fame; 
Whilst  we  glad  songs  of  praise  pre- 
pare 
Por  thine  Almighty  name.^ 


Tate  and  Brady's  Version  op 
THE  112th  Psalm. 

1 

That  man  is  blest  ivho  stands  in  awe 
Of  God,  and  loves  his  sacred  laiv  ; 
His  seed  on  earth  shall  be  renowned. 
And  with  successive  honors  crowned. 


His  house  the  seat  of  wealth  shall  be, 
An  inexhausted  treasury ; 
His  justice  free  from  all  decay, 
Shall  blessings  to  his  heirs  convey. 


The  soul  that's  filed  with  virtue's 

light, 
Shines  brightest  in  affliction's  night ; 
To  pity  the  distress'd  inclin'd, 
As  well  as  just  to  all  mankind. 


His  liberal  favors  he  extends, 
To  some  he  gives,  to  others  lends  ; 
Yet  what  his  charity  impairs, 
He  saves  by  prudence  in  affairs. 


Dr.  Watts's  Verson  op  the 
112th  Psalm. 

1 
That  man  is  blest  who  stands  in  awe 
Of  God,  and  loves  his  sacred  law  ; 

His  seed  on  earth  shall  be  renowned; 
His  house,  the  seat  of  wealth,  shall  be 
An  inexhausted  treasury. 

And  with  successive  honors  crown'd. 


His  liberal  favors  he  eodends. 
To  some  he  gives,  to  othei's  lends ; 

A  generous  pity  fills  his  mind : 
Yet  what  his  charity  impairs. 
He  saves  by  prudence  in  affairs ; 

And  thus  he's  just  to  all  mankind. 


His  hands,  while  they  his  alms  bestowed. 
His  glory's  future  harvest  sow'd; 

The  sweet  remembrance  of  the  just 
Like  a  gi'een  root  revives  and  bears 
A  train  of  blessings  for  his  heirs. 

When  dying  natui-e  sleeps  in  dust. 


1  It  will  be  seen,  at  once,  how  far  this  Psalm  has  been  altered  by  Dr. 
Watts.  The  Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection  has  altered  it  still  more 
by  interpolating  two  stanzas. 

2  Watts's  note  :  "  I  have  borrowed  almost  all  these  stanzas  from  Mr. 
Tate's  version,  and  they  seem  very  applicable  to  his  present  Majesty 
King  George,"  1716. 


QUOTATIONS  BY  DR.   WATTS. 


189 


Tate  and  Brady's  Version  of 
THE  112th  Psalm. 

5 

Beset  with  threatening  dangers  round, 
Unmoved  shall  he  maintain  his  ground  ; 
The  sweet  remembrance  of  the  just 
Shall   flourish   when   he   sleeps  in 
dust. 


lU  tidings  never  can  surprise 
His  hearty  that  fixed  on  God  relies  ; 
On  safety's  rock  he  sits,  and  sees 
The  shipwreck  of  his  enemies. 


His  hands,  while  they  his  alms  be- 

stow'd, 
His  glorfs  future  haixest  sowed, 
Whence  he  shall  reap  wealth,  fame, 

^eno^\^l, 
A  temp'ral  and  eternal  crown. 


The  wicked  sliall  his  triumph  see, 
And  gnash  their  teeth  in  agony: 
While  their  unrighteous  hopes  de- 
cay, 
And  vanish  with  themselves  away. 


Dk. 


Watts's  Version  of  the 
112th  Psalm. 


Beset  with  threatening  dangers  round, 
Unmoved  shall  he  maintain  his  ground  ; 
His  conscience  holds  his  courage 
up: 
The  soul  that's  filled  with  virtue's  light. 
Shines  brightest  in  aflliction's  night : 
And  sees  in  darkness  beams  of 
hope. 


El  tidings  never  can  surprise 
His  heart  that  fix' d  on  God  relies, 
Though  waves  and  tempests  roar 
around : 
Safe  on  the  rock  he  sits,  and  sees 
The  shipwreck  of  his  enemies. 
And  all  their  hopes  and   glory 
drown'd. 


The  ivicked  shall'  his  triumph  see, 
And  gnash  their  teeth  in  agony, 

To  find  their  expectations  crossed : 
They  and  their  envy,  pride,  and 

spite, 
Sink  down  to  everlasting  night, 
And  all  their  names  in  darkness 
lost.i 


Tate  and  Brady's  Version  of 
THE  113th  Psalm. 


Ye  saints  and  servants  of  the  Lord, 
The  triumphs  of  his  name  record ; 

His  sacred  name  forever  bless, 
JVhere'er  the  circling  sun  displays 
His  rising  beams  or  setting  rays. 

Due  praise  to  his  great  name  ad- 
dress. 

2 
God  through  the  world  extends  his 

sway ; 
The  regions  of  eternal  day 
But  shadows  of  his  glory  are. 


Dr.  Watts's  Version  of  the 
113th  Psalm. 

1 

Ye  that  delight  to  serve  the  Lord^ 
The  honors  of  his  name  record. 

His  sacred  name  forever  bless  : 
Where'er  the  circling  sun  displays 
His  rising  beams  or  setting  rays, 

Let  lands  and  seas  his  power  con- 
fess. 

2 

Not  time,   nor  Nature's   narrow 

rounds, 
Can  give  his  vast  dominion  bounds ; 
The  heavens   are  far  below  his 
height : 


^  Watts's  note :  "  IVIany  lines  of  this  metre,  and  some  of  the  next 
Psalm,  Proper  Metre,  are  borrowed  from  Mr.  Tate's  version." 


190 


QUOTATIONS   BY   DR.  WATTS. 


Tate  and  Brady's  Version  of 
THE  113th  Psalm. 

To  him,  whose  majesty  excels, 
Who  made  the  heaven  in  which  he 
dwells. 
Let  no  created  power  compare. 


Though  'tis  beneath  his  state  to 

view 
In  highest  heaven  what  angels  do, 
Yet  he  to  earth  vouchsafes  his 
care ; 
He  takes  the  needy  from  his  cell, 
Advancing  him  in  courts  to  dwell, 
Companion  to  the  greatest  there. 


When  childless  families  despair, 
He  sends  t/ie  hUssinq  of  an  heir 

To  rescue  their  expiring  name ; 
Makes  her,  that  barren  was,  to  bear, 
And  joyfully  her  fruit  to  rear  : 

O  then  extol  his  matchless ^orme .' 


Dr.  Watts's  Version  op  the 
113th  Psalm. 

Let  no  created  greatness  dare 
With  our  eternal  God  compare, 
Armed  with  his  uncreated  might. 


He  bows  his  glorious  head  to  view 
What  the  bright  hosts  of  angels  do. 
And  bends   his  care  to   mortal 
things ; 
His  sovereign  hand  exalts  the  poor ; 
He  takes  the  needy  from  the  door. 
And  makes   them  company  for 
kings. 


When  childless  families  despair, 
He  sends  the  blessing  of  an  heir 

To  rescue  their  expiring  name  ; 
The  mother,  with  a  thankful  voice, 
Proclaims  his  praises  and  her  joys  ; 

Let  every  age  advance  his  fame. 


Thou,  Lord,  by  strictest  search  hast 

known 
My  rising  up  and  laying  down  ; 
My  secret  thoughts  are  known  to 

thee, 
Known   long  before  conceived  by 


Thine  eye  my  bed  and  path  surveys. 
My  public  haunts  and  private  ways  ; 
Thou  know' St  what  'tis  my  lips  would 

vent 
My  yet  unutter'd  words'  intent. 


Surrounded  by  thy  power,  1  stand ; 
On  every  side  Ifnd  thy  hand. 
O  skill,  for  human  reach  too  high  ! 
Too  dazzling  bright  for  mortal  eye ! 


Tate  and  Brady's  Version  op   Watts's  Version  op  the  139th 
the  139th  Psalm.  Psalm. 

First  Part. 

1 

Lord,  thou  hast  searched  and  seen  me 

through  ; 
Thine  eye  commands  with  piercing 

view 
My  rising  and  my  resting  hours. 
My  heart  and  flesh  with  all  their 
powers. 

2 

My  thoughts,  before  they  are  my  own, 
Are  to  my  God  distinctly  known ; 
He  knows  the  words  I  mean  to 

speak. 
Ere  from  my  opening  lips  they  break. 


Within  thy  circling  power  L  stand  . 
On  every  side  Ifirid  thy  hand : 
Awake,  asleep,  at  home,  abroad, 
I  am  surrounded  still  with  God. 


QUOTATIONS   BY  DR.  WATTS. 


191 


Tate  and  Brady's  Version  of  i  "Watts's  Version  of  the  139th 
THE  139th  Psalm.  Psalm. 

f  4 

Amazing  knowledge,  vast  and  great ! 
What  large  extent!  what  lofty 

height ! 
My  soul,  with  all  the  powers  I  boast, 
Is  in  the  boundless  prospect  lost. 


O  could  I  so  perfidious  be, 
To  think  of  once  deserting  thee  !       / 
Where,  Lord,  could  I  thy  influence  \ 
shun  9  * 

Or  whither /ro?w  thy  presence  run  ? 


If  up  to  heaven  I  take  my  flight, 
^Tis  there  thou  dweWst  enthroned  h 

light; 
Or  sink  to  hell's  infernal  plains, 
'Tis  there  almighty  vengeance  reigns. 


If  I  the  morning'' s  wings  could  gain, 
AndyZj/  beyond  the  western  main. 
Thy  swifter  hand  would  first  arrive, 
And  there  arrest  thy  fugitive. 


Or  should  1  try  to  shun  thy  sight. 
Beneath  the  sable  wings  of  night. 
One  glance  fi'om  thee,  one  piercing 

ray, 
Would  kindle  darkness  into  day. 

8 
The  veil  of  night  is  no  disguise, 
Ao   screen  from   thy  all-searching 

eyes : 
Through  midnight  shades  thou  find'st 
the  way, 
As  in  the  blazing  noon  of  day. 


10 
I'll  praise  thee  from  whose  hands  I 

came, 
A  work  of  such  a  curious  frame  : 
The  wonders  thou  in  me  hast  shown, 
My  soul  with  grateful  joy  must  own. 


Could  I  so  false,  so  faithless  prove, 
To  quit  thy  service  and  thy  love, 
Where,  Lord,  could  I  thy  presence 

shun. 
Or  from  thy  dreadful  glory  run  ? 


If  up  to  heaven  I  take  my  flight, 
^Tis  there  thou  dweWst  enthroned  in 

light ; 
Or  dive  to  hell,  —  there  vengeance 

reigns. 
And  Satan  groans  beneath  thy 

chains. 

8 
If  mounted  on  a  morning  ray, 
tfly  beyond  the  western  sea. 
Thy  swifter  hand  would  first  arrive, 
And  there  arrest  thy  fugitive. 


Or  should  I  try  to  shun  thy  sight, 
Beneath  the  spreading  veil  of  night. 
One  glance  of  thine,  one  piercing  ray, 
Would  kindle  darkness  into  day. 


11 

The  veil  of  night  is  no  disguise  ; 
No  screen  from  thy  all-searching  eyes: 
Thy  hand  can  seize  thy  foes  as  soon 
Through  midnight  shades,  as  blazing 


Second  Part. 

1 
'Twas  from   thy  hand,  my  God,  / 

came, 
A  work  of  such  a  curious  frame  : 
In  me  thy  fearful  icondexs  shine, 
And  each  proclaims  thy  skill  divine. 


192 


QUOTATIONS   BY   DR.  WATTS. 


Tate  and  Brady's  Version  of 
THE  139th  Psalm. 

11  ^ 

TMne  eyes  my  substance  did  survey, 
While  yet  a  lifeless  mass  it  lay, 
In  secret  how  exactly  wrought, 
Ere  from  its  dark  enclosure  brought. 

12 

Thou  didst  the  shapeless  embryo  see, 
Its  parts  were  registered  by  thee  : 
Thou  saw'st  the  daily  growth  they 

took,  , 

Formed  by  the  model  of  thy  hook,         i 

13 

Let  me  acknowledge,  too,  O  God, 
That  since  this  maze  of  life  I  trod, 
Thy  thoughts  of  love  to  me  surmount 
The  power  of  numbers  to  recount. 

14 
Far  sooner  could  I  reckon  o'er 
The  sands  upon  the  ocean's  shore : 
Each  morn  revising  what   I've 

done, 
I  find  th'  account  but  new  begun. 


17 

Who  practise  enmity  to  thee, 
Shall  utmost  hatred  have  from  me ; 
Such  men  I  utterly  detest, 
As  if  they  were  my  foes  profest. 

18 
Search,  try,  O  God,  my  thoughts 

and  heart. 
If  mischief  lurks  in  any  part; 
Correct  me  where  I  go  astray, 
And  guide  me  in  thy  perfect  way. 


Watts's  Version  of  the  139th 
Psalm. 


Thine  eyes  did  all  my  limbs  survey. 

Which  yet  in  dark  confusion  lay ; 

\Thou   saw^st  the  daily  growth  they 

took, 
Formed  by  the  model  of  thy  book. 


Lord,  since  in  my  advancing  age 
2've  acted  on  life's  busy  stage, 
Thy  thoughts  of  love  to  me  surmount 
The  power  of  numbers  to  recount. 


I  could  survey  the  ocean  o'er, 

And  count  each  sand  that  makes  the 

shore, 
Before  my  swiftest  thoughts  could 

trace 
The  numerous  wonders  of  thy  grace. 

Third  Part. 
2 
Does  not  my  soul  detest  and  hate 
The  sons  of  malice  and  deceit  ? 
Those   that  oppose  thy  laws   and 

thee, 
I  count  them  enemies  to  me. 


Doth  secret  mischief  lurk  within  ? 
Do  I  indulge  some  unknown  sin? 
O  turn  my  feet,  whene'er  I  stray, 
And  lead  me  in  thy  perfect  way. 


1  Watts's  note  :  "  In  this  noble  Psalm  I  have  not  refused  the  aid  of  my 
predecessors,  chiefly  Mr.  Tate.  In  some  places  where  I  have  borrowed, 
I  hope  I  have  improved  the  verse ;  and  in  others,  my  own  design  con- 
strained me  to  leave  out  the  words  of  a  more  poetic  sound,  such  as 
'  infernal  plains,'  '  morning's  wings,'  '  western  main,'  '  sable  wings  of 
night,'  '  shapeless  embryo,'  '  maze  of  life,'  etc  :  yet  I  have  endeavored  to 
maintain  the  spirit  of  the  Psalmist  in  plainer  language." 


QUOTATIONS   BY  DR.  WATTS. 


193 


Bishop  Patrick's  Version  op   Dr.  Watts's  Version   of  the 
THE  6th  Psalm.  6th  Psalm. 


Lord,  I  can  suffer  thy  rebukes, 

When  thou  with  kindness  dost  chas- 
tise ; 

But  thy  fierce  wrath  I  cannot  hear; 
0  let  not  this  against  me  rise. 

2 

Pity  my  languishing  estate  ; 

And  those  perplexities  Ifeel^ 
While  crushed  by  thy  heavy  hand; 

O  let  thy  gentler  touches  heal. 


See  how  I  pass  my  weary  days 

In  sighs  and  groans ;   and  when  'tis 
night, 

I  dro\vn  my  bed  and  self  in  tears : 
My  grief  consumes  and  dims  my  sight. 


1 
Lord,  I  can  suffer  thy  rebukes, 

When  thou  with  kindness  dost  chas- 
tise; 
But  thy  fierce  wrath  I  cannot  hear  ; 
0  let  it  not  against  me  rise  ! 

2 

Pity  my  languishing  estate, 

And  ease  the  sorrows  that  I  feel; 
The  wounds  thy  heavy  hand  hath 
made, 

0  let  thy  gentler  touches  heal ! 

3 

See  how  I  pass  my  weary  days 

In  sighs  and  groans  ;   and  when  'tis 
night, 

My  bed  is  watered  with  my  tears ; 
My  grief  consumes  and  dims  my  sight.'^ 


Bishop  Patrick's   Version  of   Dr.   Watts's  Version    of   the 
THE  63d  Psalm.  63d  Psalm. 

1 
Early,  O  Lord,  my  fainting  soul 

Thy  mercy  doth  implore ; 
No  traveller  in  desert  lands 

Can  thirst  for  water  more. 


I  long  to  appear  as  I  was  wont, 
Within  thy  holy  place ; 

Thy  power  and  glory  to  behold. 
And  to  obtain  thy  grace. 


For  life  itself,  without  thy  love, 
No  relish  doth  afford; 

No  other  joys  can  equal  this. 
To  serve  and  praise  the  Lord. 


1 7/  therefore  make  my  prayers  to  him. 
And  praise  him  whilst  I  live; 

This,  like  the  choicest  dainties,  will 
Both  food  and  pleasure  give. 


My  thirsty  fainting  soul 
Thy  mercy  doth  implore  ; ' 

Not  travellers  in  desert  lands 
Can  -psint  for  water  more. 


Within  thy  churches.  Lord, 
I  long  to  find  my  place, 

Thy  power  and  gloi-y  to  behold. 
And  feel  thy  quickening  grace. 


For  life  without  thy  love 

No  relish  can  afford; 
No  joy  can  be  compar'd  to  this, 

To  serve  and  please  the  Lord, 


To  thee  77/  lift  my  hands. 
And  praise  thee  ivhile  I  live; 

Not  the  rich  dainties  of  a  feast 
Such ybot/  or  pleasure  give. 


1  Watts's  note :  "  Part  of  the  three  first  stanzas  I  have  borrowed  from 
Dr.  Patrick,  being  pleased  with  the  agreeable  turn  he  gives  to  David's 


sense.' 


17 


194 


QUOTATIONS  BY  DR.  WATTS. 


Bishop  Patrick's  Version    of  Dr.  Watts's  Version   of  the 
THE  63d  Psalm.  63d  Psalm. 

5 
When    others    sleep,    my    wakeful 
thoughts 
Present  thee  to  my  mind; 
And  in  the  night  I  think  how  good 
My  God  has  been  and  kind. 


Since  thou  alone  hast  been  my  help, 

To  thee  alone  Ifly  ; 
And  on  thy  ivatc/i/ul  Providence, 

With  cheerfulness  rely. 


In  wakeful  hours  at  night 
I  call  my  God  to  mind ; 

I  think  how  wise  thy  counsels  are, 
And  all  thy  dealings  kind. 


Since  thou  hast  been  my  help, 
To  thee  my  spirit  flies. 

And  on  thy  watchful  Providence 
My  cheerfd  hope  relies.'^ 


Sir  John  Denham's  Psalms. 
Psalm  23.  1. 
My  shepherd  is  the  living  Lord. 

Psalm  80.  1. 
Great  Shepherd  of  thy  Israel ! 
Who  Joseph  like  a  flock  dost  guide, 
Between  the  cherubims  dost  dwell. 

Psalm  89.  1. 
From  age  to  age  I  will  record 
The  truth  and  mercy  of  the  Lord. 
His  faithfulness  as  firmly  stands, 
As  heaven  established  by  His  hands. 

Psalm  94.  1. 
O  God,  to  whom  revenge  belongs. 

Psalm  95.  1. 
Come  let  us  sing  Jehovah's  praise, 

And  in  His  name  rejoice ; 
To  our  salvation's  Rock  we  '11  raise, 

In  sacred  hymns,  our  voice. 

Psalm  100.  1.    ^ 
Ye  nations  of  the  earth,  rejoice. 


Dr.  Watts's  Psalms. 
My  shepherd  is  the  living  Lord. 


Great  Shepherd  of  thine  Israel, 
Who    didst    between    the    cherubs 
dwell. 


Forever  shall  my  song  record 
The  truth  and  mercy  of  the  Lord ; 
Mercy  and  truth  forever  stand, 
Like  heaven,  established  by  His  hand. 


O  God,  to  whom  revenge  belongs. 


Sing  to  the  Lord  Jehovah's  name. 
And  in  His  strength  rejoice ; 

When  his  salvation  is  our  theme. 
Exalted  be  our  voice. 


Ye  nations  round  the  earth,  rejoice. 


1  Watts's  note :  "  After  I  had  finished  the  Common  Metre  of  this  Psalm, 
I  observed  several  pious  turns  of  thought  in  Dr.  Patrick's  version,  which 
I  have  copied  in  this  Metre,  though  with  some  difficulty  because  of  the 
shorter  lines." 


QUOTATIONS   BY  DR.  WATTS. 


195 


Denham. 

Psalm  104.  1. 
My  soul,  thy  great  Creator  praise, 
When  clothed  in  His  celestial  rays. 
He  in  full  majesty  appears, 
And  like  a  robe  His  glory  wears. 

Psalm  104.'  2. 
The  skies  are  for  His  curtains  spread, 
Th'  unfathomed  deep  He  makes  his 

bed, 
The  clouds  are  His  triumphant  car. 
The  winds  His  fleeing  coursers  are. 

Psalm  104.  3. 
Angels  whom  His  own  breath  in- 
spires. 
His  ministers,  are  flaming  fires  : 
The  earth's  foundations  by  His  hand 
Are  poised,  and  shall  forever  stand. 

Psalm  104.  13. 
God  from  His  cloudy  cistern  pours 
On  the  parch'd  earth  inriching  show- 
ers. 

Psalm  104.  35. 
But  I  shall  to  my  Lord  and  Bang 
Eternal  Hallelujahs  sing. 

Psalm  105.  1. 
Give  thanks  to  God,  invoke  His  name. 

Psalm  124.  1. 
Had  not  the  Lord  maintained  our 
side. 

Psahn  142.  3. 
My  soul  was  overwhelmed  with  woe, 
But  thou  my  paths  didst  know. 


Watts. 


My  soul,  thy  great  Creator  praise. 
When  cloth'd  in  His  celestial  rays. 
He  in  full  majesty  appears. 
And,  like  a  robe,  his  glory  wears. 

The  heavens  are  for  his    curtains 

spread, 
Th'  unfathom'd  deep  he  makes  his 

bed; 
Clouds  are  His  chariot,  when  He  flies 
On  winged  storms  across  the  skies. 

Angels,  whom  His  own  breath  in- 
spires. 
His  ministers,  are  flaming  fires. 
The  world  s  foundations  by  His  hand 
Are  poised,  and  shall  forever  stand. 

God,  from  His  cloudy  cistern,  pours 
On    the    parch'd    earth     enriching 
show'rs. 


I  to  my  God,  my  heavenly  King, 
Lnmortal  Hallelujahs  sing. 


Give  thanks  to  God,  invoke  His  name. 


Had  not  the  Lord  maintained  our 
side. 

My  soul  was  overwhelm'd  with  woes. 
My  heart  began  to  break. 


It  is  evident,  that  some  of  the  psalms  here  quoted 
cannot  properly  be  ascribed  to  the  sole  authorship  of 
Dr.  Watts,  as  they  are  by  Dr.  Worcester  and  others. 
K  they  be  attributed  to  any  versifiers,  they  should  be 
referred  in  a  general  way  to  Watts  and  Tate  and 
Brady,  or  Dr.  Patrick  or  Sk  John  Denham,  from 
whom  the  characteristic   features  of  them  were  bor- 


196  WANT   OP  ORIGINALITY. 

rowed.  It  is  further  evident  that  these  altered  forms 
of  the  psalms  must  have  "  confused "  the  minds  of 
worshippers  in  1719,  as  much  as  other  quotations 
have  "  created  disturbance  and  confusion  "  in  the  nine- 
teenth century.  The  old  forms  of  these  psalms  were 
inwrought  into  the  fond  associations  of  thousands. 
The  "  new  version "  of  Tate  and  Brady  was  an 
authorized  part  of  the  English  church  service.  The 
dissenting  poet  of  Southampton  "  dislocated  "  the 
favorite  stanzas  of  men,  "  inverted "  the  order  of 
long-cherished  phrases,  impaired  the  "  uniformity  "  of 
worship,  etc.  These  were  real  evils.  Were  they  not 
counterbalanced  by  superior  advantages?  It  is  also 
evident,  that  the  charge  of  "  plagiarism,"  wrongly 
made  against  recent  poets  who  have  borrowed  lines 
from  their  predecessors,  may,  with  equal  propriety, 
and,  we  prefer  to  say,  with  equal  impropriety,  be 
made  against  the  very  prince  of  our  sacred  lyrists. 
From  the  days  of  Homer  down  to  those  of  Shaks- 
peare,  from  Shakspeare  to  Longfellow,  men  have 
blended  with  their  own  verses  the  phrases,  the  meta- 
phors, the  prevailing  air  and  tone  of  other  poems. 
The  principle  on  which  these  and  similar  poets  have 
incorporated  the  words  of  preceding  writers  with  their 
own  words,  is  the  very  principle  on  which  the  lyrists 
of  the  sanctuary  have  constructed  hymns  embodying 
entire  stanzas  from   their   predecessors.^     They  have 

1  When  we  begin  to  insist  on  entire  originality  in  a  hymn,  we  know 
not  where  we  can  end.     Pope  writes  : 

He  from  thick  films  shall  purge  the  visual  ray, 
And  on  the  sightless  eye-balls  pour  the  day. 

There  is  a  striking  similarity  to  these  lines  in  one  of  the  most  noted 


COMMON  VARIATIONS.  197 

borrowed  sometimes  more,  sometimes  less,  from  lyrics 
in  which  they  discovered  elements  too  precious  to  be 
lost  ;  but  whether  more  or  less,  they,  esteemed  the 
borrowed  words  as  substantially  a  quotation,  and 
equally  justifiable  with  every  other  quotation.  In  aU 
our  more  popular  hymn  books,  there  are  what  may 
be  termed  composite  lyrics^  which  are  made  up  of 
extracts  from  other  songs,  and  which  fuse  into  one 
hymn  the  better  portions  of  two  or  three.  In  the 
Presbyterian  (Old  School)  Collecrion,  the  14th,  21st, 
33d,  66th,  75th,  and  124th  Psalms;  the  129th,  139th, 
169th,  174th,  381st,  559th,  601st  hymns,  are  either 
"  composite  lyrics,^^  or  else  contain  new  interpolated 
Hues  or  stanzas ;  so  in  the  Presbyterian  (New  School) 
coUection,  are  psalm  21 ;  hymns  6,  137,  205,  350,  533, 
553,  624,  661,  and  others  ;  likewise  in  the  Connecticut 
CoUection,  are  the  152d,  220th,  393d,  373d,  699th, 
and  other  hymns ;  also  in  Mr.  Beecher's  Plymouth 
Collection,  are  the  75th,  215th,  264th,  273rd,  545th, 
688th,  813th,  1113th,  li58th,  1256th,  1291st,  1317th, 
1318th,  and  other  hymns. 


§  9.   Difficulty  of  Ascertaining'  the   Original  Text  of 

some  Hymns, 

"  If  four  persons  have  used  four  different  selections 

[of  lyrics],  it  will  be  found  on  comparison  that  many 

a  verse  has  four  different  readings,  while  perhaps  the 

hymns  of  Doddridge.     He  was  no  plagiarist,  and  still  wrote : 

He  comes  from  thickest  films  of  vice 
To  clear  the  mental  ray, 
And  on  the  eye-balls  of  the  blind 
To  pour  celestial  day. 

17* 


198  COMMON  VARIATIONS. 

original  differs  from  them  all ;  in  coming,  therefore,  to 
the  use  of  one  book,  three  of  them,  at  least,  must  find 
a  different  reading  from  that  with  which  they  are 
familiar.  In  some  popular  hymns,  the  various  read- 
ings are  so  numerous  that  identity  is  almost  lost,  and 
the  original  cannot  now  be  ascertained."  ^ 

This  fact  suggests  the  reason  why  it  has  become 
so  common  to  condemn  certain  phrases  as  departures 
from  the  original,  when  in  fact  they  are  returns  to  it. 
The  author's  own  words  have  been  stigmatized  as 
innovations,  even  in  a  lyric  so  celebrated  as : 

Lo !  on  a  narrow  neck  of  land, 
'Twixt  two  unbounded  seas  I  stand ; 
Secure^  insensible !  etc. 

O  God,  my  inmost  soul  convert, 
And  deeply  on  my  thoughtful  heart 
Eternal  things  impress,  etc.^ 

The  Village  Hymns  of  Dr.  Nettleton,  the  manual 
commonly  known  as  Worcester's  Watts,  the  Presby- 
terian (N.  S.)  Collection,  the  Reformed  Dutch  Hymn 
Book,  and  more  than  one  Episcopal  Selection,  substi- 
tute for  the  second  and  fifth  of  the  preceding  lines: 
'■'■Yet  how  insensible,"  "  And  deeply  on  my  thoughtless 
heart."  These  latter  readings  have  been  even  cited, 
as  illustrating  the  great  superiority  of  the  author's 
own  words  to  the  interpolations  of  critics.  But  in 
the  first  editions  of  Wesley's  lyrics  we  find  the  words 
"  secure ^^^  "  thoughtful^ 

*  Preface  to  the  fifty-third  edition  of  the  English  Baptist  Selection  of 
Hymns,  p.  vi. 
2  See  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  495. 


heber's  missionary  hymn.  199 

Even  a  hymn  so  noted  and  so  new  as  Mont- 
gomery's "Forever  with  the  Lord"  (Sabbath  Hymn 
Book,  1237),  is  seldom  published  correctly.  Often  it 
is  made  to  contain  the  following  words : 

My  father's  house  on  high, 

Home  of  my  soul,  how  near 
At  times  to  faith's  far-seeing  eye 

Thy  golden  gates  appear. 

Frequently  the  word  discerning-  is  substituted  for  far- 
seeing-.  In  the  dislike  of  such  a  prosaic  term,  some 
have  exchanged  it  for  aspiring-,  thus  imitating  Dod- 
dridge, who  sings  of  an  "  aspiring  eye."  But  others 
who  commend  this  phrase  in  Doddridge,  condemn  it 
as  infelicitous  when  it  appears  in  Montgomery,  and 
insist  that  the  original  discerning-  is  more  poetic.  But 
the  truth  is,  that  not  one  of  these  three  words  was 
chosen  by  Montgomery.  His  term  was,  —  and  it  is 
superior  to  either  of  the  other  three,  foreseeing-.  It 
so  appears  in  the  earlier  and  better  editions  of  his 
works. 

The  Missionary  Hymn  of  Heber  is  generally  printed 
with  the  following  inaccuracies  : 

"  SJiall  we  whose  souls  are  lighted,"  etc. 
"  Shall  we  to  man  benighted,"  etc, 
"  Till  earth's  remotest  nation,"  etc. 

The  editors  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  originally 
printed  these  lines  as  they  were  written  by  their 
author : 

"  Can  we  whose  souls  are  lighted,"  etc. 

"  Can  we  to  men  benighted,"  etc. 

"  Till  each  remotest  nation,"  etc. 


200  heber's  missionary  hymn. 

By  the  importunity  of  a  friend,  who  remonstrated 
against  violating  the  sacred  associations  of  the  word 
shall  in  the  first  two  of  the  above  cited  lines,  the 
editors  were  induced  to  restore  the  common,  which 
is,  however,  what  certain  critics  are  pleased  to  call  a 
^' garbled ''^  reading.  But  it  has  been  necessary  to 
consult  numerous  editions  of  Heber's  writings,  before 
his  own  chosen  words  could  be  indisputably  ascer- 
tained. Dr.  Raffles  of  Liverpool  possesses  the  identi- 
cal manuscript  which  Bishop  Heber  sent  to  the  press, 
and  we  have  novt^  lyi>^g  before  us  an  exact  copy  of 
that  manuscript,  corresponding  precisely  with  the  first 
printed  impressions  of  the  Missionary  Hymn,  and  with 
the  version  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  (H.  1132) 
except  in  the  use  of  "c<2?i"  for  "5/ia//."^ 

1  In  a  letter  from  Dr.  Raffles  to  Dr.  Lowell  Mason,  he  gives  the  follow- 
ing information  with  regard  to  the  origin  of  the  Missionary  Hymn  : 

"  Heber,  then  Rector  of  Hodnet,  married  the  daughter  of  Dean  Ship- 
ley, Rector  or  Vicar  of  Wrexham,  in  North  Wales.  On  a  certain  Satur- 
day, he  came  to  the  house  of  his  father-in-law,  who  resided  at  the  rectory 
or  vicarage,  to  remain  over  Sunday,  and  preach,  in  the  morning,  the  first 
sermon  ever  preached  in  that  church  for  the  Church  Missionary  Society. 
As  they  sat  conversing  after  dinner  in  the  evening,  the  Dean  said  to 
Heber,  '  Now,  as  you  are  a  poet,  suppose  you  wTite  a  hymn  for  the  ser- 
vice  to-morrow  morning.'  Immediately  he  took  pen,  ink  and  paper,  and 
WTOte  that  hymn,  which,  had  he  written  nothing  else,  would  have  im- 
mortalized him.  He  read  it  to  the  Dean,  and  said,  *  Will  that  do  ? ' 
'Aye,'  he  replied,  'and  we  will  have  it  printed  and  distributed  in  the 
pews,  that  the  people  may  sing  it  after  the  sermon.'  '  But,'  said  Heber, 
'  to  what  tune  will  it  go  1  —  Oh,'  he  added,  '  it  will  go  to  "  'Twas  when 
the  seas  were  roaring."  '  And  so  he  wrote  in  the  comer,  at  the  top  of  the 
page,  '  'Twas  when  the  seas  were  roaring.'  What  that  tune  is,  I  do  not 
know,  but  it  may  easily  be  ascertained.  The  hymn  was  printed  accord- 
ingly, and  from  the  file  of  the  printer  I  obtained  the  manuscripts. 

I "  have  seen  another  version  of  the  story  of  the  hymn,  which  states 
that  it  was  on  Whitsunday,  1819,  and  that  it  was  for  a  sermon  in  aid  of 
the  Society  for  '  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts.'    I 


HEBER'S  missionary  HYM5r. 


201 


"  Now  if  in  four  such  favorite  compositions  from  au- 
thors so  recent  and  eminent  as  Charles  Wesley,  James 
Montgomery,  and  Bishop  Heber,  the  common  readings 
have  been  inaccurate  for  so  many  years,  how  much 
more  difficult  must  it  be  to  ascertain  the  exact  form  in 
which  older  and  less  familiar  hymns,  from  less  conspic- 
uous authors,  originally  appeared  ?  The  difficulty  is 
greater  than  can  be  rewarded  by  the  practical  (we  do 
not  say  the  historical  and  antiquarian)  results  of  the 

cannot  vouch  for  the  correctness  of  either.  "  I  tell  the  tale  as  '  twas  told 
to  me.'" 

"  The  only  correction  in  [Heber'sJ  MS.  occurs  in  the  seventh  line  of 
the  second  stanza,  where  he  had  originally  witten  :  "  The  savage  in  his 
blindness,"  which  he  altered  to  :  "  The  heathen  in  his  blindness." 

Below  the  stanzas  is  ^vritten  in  pencil :  "  A  Hymn  to  be  sung  in  Wrex- 
Aam  Church,  after  the  sermon,  during  the  collection." 

While  occupied  with  this  literary  reminiscence,  we  are  tempted  to  pub- 
lish the  notes  of  the  tune  to  which  the  Missionary  Hymn  was  first  sung ; 
but  which  has  been  now  supplanted  in  common  use  by  the  tune  of  Dr. 
Lowell  Mason.    The  original  notes  are : 


'TWAS  WHEN  THE   SEAS  WERE  ROARING. 

Bt  Handel. 

, -f**-- Kr r — ^. K: — **1 K' 

From  Greenland's  i  -  cy  mountains,        From  In  -  dia's  cor  -  al 


Z=r±i 
-P ^ 


#«-# 


SS^te^^ 


^M^^^A 


-=u^^ 


strand,  Where  Afric's  sun  -  ny  fountains  Roll    down  their  gold  -  en 

sand,— From  many   an    ancient       river,        From  many    a    palm  -  y 

plain,  They  call  us  to    de  -  liver      Their    land  from  error's    chain. 


202  MULTIPLICITY   OF  ALTERATIONS. 

search.  Still  further,  in  numerous  instances  it  is  nol 
barely  arduous,  it  is  impossible  to  determine  which  is 
the  primitive  of  many  conflicting  versions  ;  and  in  these 
instances,  the  charge  of  departing  from  the  primitive 
style  is  made  in  blank  uncertainty  whether  the  charge 
be  true  or  false.  Here,  the  author  is  unknown ;  there, 
the  original  copy  is  unknown.  Even  in  an  author  so 
near  us  and  so  noted  as  Doddridge,  we  are  not  always 
sure  that  we  have  his  own  words.  The  honest  Job 
Orton,  who  first  edited  Doddridge's  hymns,  says  in  his 
first  Preface  to  them,  p.  x. :  "  There  may  perhaps  be 
some  improprieties  [in  these  hymns]  owing  to  my  not 
being  able  to  read  the  author's  manuscript  in  particular 
places,  and  being  obliged,  without  a  poetic  genius,  to 
supply  those  deficiencies,  whereby  the  beauty  of  the 
stanza  may  be  greatly  defaced,  though  the  sense  is 
preserved."  With  some  persons,  if  a  hymn  deviates 
from  Worcester's  Watts,  the  deviation  is  thought  to 
be  a  departure  from  the  original ;  but  a  careful  scrutiny 
has  disclosed  the  fact  that  in  only  nine  hundred  and 
twenty-five  of  even  the  more  common  lyrics  in  that 
manual,  there  are  fourteen  hundred  and  fourteen  altera- 
tions, besides  a  large  number  of  omissions.  There  is  a 
multitude  of  readers  who  rely  implicitly  on  the  text  of 
the  Presbyterian  (Old  School)  Collection,  and  regard 
every  instance  of  departure  from  this  text  as  a  violation 
of  the  rights  of  authorship ;  yet  in  seven  hundred  and 
forty  of  the  more  common  lyrics  in  that  Collection, 
there  are  thirteen  hundred  and  twenty-seven  variations, 
exclusive  of  the  frequent  omissions.  In  the  preface  or 
advertisement  of  that  manual  it  is  stated  :  "  The  psalms 
have  been  left  without  alteration  ;  the  Committee  be- 
lieving that  it  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  furnish  a 


MULTIPLICITY   OF   ALTERATIONS.  203 

more  acceptable  version  than  that  of  Watts.  The 
hymns,  as  may  be  seen,  have  undergone  great  and 
essential  modifications,"  p.  3.  But  in  the  three  hun- 
dred and  forty-five  versions  of  psalms  contained  in 
the  Collection,  there  are  six  hundred  and  ninety-seven 
alterations.  Indeed  there  are  not  one  hundred  and  ten 
of  these  psalms  unaltered.  In  seven  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-four of  the  most  noted  hymns  in  the  Presbyterian 
(New  School)  Collection,  there  are  thirteen  hundred 
and  thirty-six  variations  of  the  original  text.  In  eight 
hundred  and  ten  familiar  hymns  of  the  Connecticut 
Hymn  Book  (two  hundred  and  fifty  at  least  of  which 
are  hallowed  by  long  use),  there  are  eleven  hundred 
and  twenty-six  changes.  In  five  hundred  and  fifty 
well-known  hymns  of  Mr.  Beecher's  Plymouth  Collec- 
tion, there  are  nine  hundred  and  seven  changes.  In 
many  English  manuals  for  song,  the  departures  from 
the  original  text  are  still  more  numerous.  We  believe 
that  there  has  not  been  published,  either  in  England  or 
America,  during  the  last  thirty  years,  a  single  hymn 
book  in  which  there  are  not  more  changes  of  the  text 
than  there  are  hymns.  Among  the  less  noted  lyrics, 
the  diversity  is  greater  than  among  the  more  noted; 
and  amid  all  this  diversity  the  labor  of  determining 
the  author's  primitive  reading  is  often  great,  and  not 
seldom  utterly  fruitless.  If  editors  have  blundered 
in  altering  the  text,  critics  have  blundered  far  more 
in  conjecturing  what  was  the  first  draught.  On  this 
theme,  as  well  as  others,  we  are  apt  to  be  positive 
in  proportion  to  our  ignorance. 

There  has  been  a  singular  and  a  prolonged  mis- 
understanding with  regard  to  both  the  text  and  the 
authorship  of  a  noted  hymn,  which  appears  in  the  fol- 
lowing, among  other  versions : 


204 


WESLEY   AND   TOPLADY. 


Hymn  as  Ascribed  to  Topladt. 

Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow, 
The  gladly  solemn  sound  ; 

Let  all  the  nations  know. 
To  earth's  remotest  bound  : 

The  year  of  jubilee  is  come, 

Keturn,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home ! 

Exalt  the  Lamb  of  God, 

The  sm-atoning  Lamb ; 
Redemption  hy  his  blood, 

Through  all  the  world  proclaim  : 
The  year  of  jubilee  is  come; 
Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 

Ye  who  have  sold  for  nought. 

The  heritage  above. 
Come  take  it  back  unbought. 

The  gift  of  Jesus'  love : 
The  year  of  jubilee  is  come ; 
Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 

Ye  slaves  of  sin  and  hell. 

Your  liberty  receive  ; 
And  safe  in  Jesus  dwell, 

And  blest  in  Jesus  live  : 
The  year  of  jubilee  is  come ; 
Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 

The  gospel  trumpet  hear. 

The  news  of  porctning  grace ; 

Ye  happy  souls,  draw  near, 
Behold  your  Saviour's  face  : 

The  year  of  jubilee  is  come, 

Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 

Jesus,  our  great  high  priest. 
Has  full  atonement  made ; 

Ye  weary  spirits,  rest ; 

Y'e  mourning  souls,  be  glad  : 

The  year  of  jubilee  is  come. 

Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 


Hymn  Represented  as  Altered. 

Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow 
The  gladly-solemn  sound ; 

Let  all  the  nations  know. 
To  earth's  remotest  bound  : 

The  year  of  jubilee  is  come  ; 

Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 

Jesus,  our  great  High  Priest, 
Hath  full  atonement  made  : 

Ye  weary  spirits,  rest ; 

Ye  mournful  souls,  be  glad  : 

The  year  of  jubilee  is  come  ; 

Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 

Extol  the  Lamb  of  God,  — 

The  a//-atoning  Lamb  ; 
Redemption  in  his  blood 

Throughout  the  world  proclaim  : 
The  year  of  jubilee  is  come  ; 
Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 

Ye  slaves  of  sin  and  hell. 

Your  liberty  receive ; 
And  safe  in  Jesus  dwell, 

And  blest  in  Jesus  live : 
The  year  of  jubilee  is  come  ; 
Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 

Ye  who  have  sold  for  naught 

Your  heritage  above, 
Shall  have  it  back  unbought. 

The  gift  of  Jesus'  love  : 
The  year  of  jubilee  is  come ; 
Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 

The  gospel  trumpet  hear,  — 
The  news  of  heavenly  grace ; 

And,  saved  from  eai-th,  appear 
Before  your  Saviour's  face  : 

The  year  of  jubilee  is  come  ; 

Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home. 


This  hymn  is  ascribed  to  Toplady  in  Worcester's 
Watts,  in  the  Methodist  Protestant,  the  Presbyterian 
(Old  School),  the  Connecticut,  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church,  the  Plymouth,  and,  indeed,  in  nearly  all  the 


WESLEY  AND   TOPLADY.  205 

Collections  that  adopt  the  hymn  as  it  is  given  in  the 
left  hand  column  above.  Many  admirers  of  Toplady 
seem  to  reason  thus:  "Ae  was  a  more  gifted  lyrist 
than  his  successors ;  therefore  his  version  is  superior: 
the  original  is  always  better  than  the  altered  form; 
his  is  the  original ;  therefore  it  is  the  preferable  one." 
But  the  fact  is,  that  Toplady  did  not  publish  this 
hymn  until  1776,  and  the  hymn  is  found  as  early 
as  1755,  in  a  little  tract  entitled  "  Hymns  for  New 
Year's  Day,"  containing  only  seven  odes,  and  all  of 
them  by  Charles  Wesley.  Toplady  altered  the  hymn 
somewhat,  and  published  it  as  modified.  Some  of 
his  admirers,  then,  must  reason  thus  ;  "  Toplady  was 
superior  to  Wesley ;  therefore  his  version  of  this  hymn 
is  to  be  preferred  to  Wesley's :  the  original  is  always 
superior  to  the  altered  form ;  therefore  Wesley's  first 
draught  must  be  preferred  to  Toplady's  second^  The 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book  has  rejected  nearly  all  of  the 
alterations  made  by  Toplady,  and  has  omitted  (as 
several  other  manuals  have  done)  the  fourth  and  fifth 
of  Wesley's  stanzas.  But  an  advocate  for  the  orig- 
inal readings  has  condemned  the  Sabbath  Hymn 
Book,  because  it  has  "  omitted "  these  twelve  of  the 
original  thirty-six  lines,  and  has  "altered"  the  hymn; 
and  then  the  reviewer  adds :  two  of  the  stanzas  are 
"  most  unpoetically  transposed.  By  a  curious  coin- 
cidence the  genius  of  Toplady  is  again  the  victim.^^ 
It  is  indeed  curious.  But  the  transpositions  are  all 
on  the  other  side.  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  rejects 
the  transpositions  made  by  the  "  genius  of  Toplady  "  ; 
it  holds  fast  the  greater  part  of  the  words  given  up 
by  that  genius,  and  excludes  the  greater  part  of 
his  interpolations,  which  may  now  be  called  supe- 
18 


206  BIBLICAL   CHARACTER   OF  HYMNS. 

rior,  because  original !  ^  This  ia  one  of  a  hundred 
instances  in  which  we  believe  that  a  verse  is  admira- 
ble, when  we  imagine  it  to  have  come  from  a  favorite 
lyrist,  but  if  that  same  good  come  otft  of  Nazareth, 
it  is  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground. 


§  10.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Biblical  and 
Evangelical  Character. 

"  We  must  have  versifications  of  all  the  Psalms, 
because  our  hymn  books  must  be  modelled  after  the 
Bible."  This  is  a  common  plea.  It  is  an  extravagant 
expression  of  a  great  truth.  Our  hymn  books  must 
be  conformed  to  the  standard  of  the  inspired  word. 
A  sacred  song  becomes,  often,  the  more  poetical  by 
becoming  more  biblical.  The  word  of  God  has  in 
and  around  itself  a  poetic  association.  When  a  hymn 
is  transformed  from  its  mere  human  to  a  divine  idiom, 
it  is  restored  to  its  proper  original.  If  there  come 
forth  an  aroma  from  the  very  name  of  Watts,  there 
comes  a  still  more  fragrant  incense  from  the  name 
of  David.  If  there  be  a  kind  of  poetry  in  the  mere 
fact  that  a  phrase  has  been  sanctioned  by  Reginald 

1  When  the  preceding  paragraph  was  originally  written,  we  supposed 
that  all  of  the  changes  commonly  made  in  Wesley's  hymn  were  the  work 
of  Mr.  Toplady.  But  on  a  recent  inspection  of  Toplady's  "  Psalms  and 
Hymns  for  Public  and  Private  Worship,"  First  Edition,  1776,  we  find  that 
he  transposed  the  stanzas,  and  altered  about  a  dozen  of  the  words.  One  of 
his  alterations  is  not  copied  into  the  popular  version  of  the  hymn.  He 
writes  :  "  Through  all  the  lands  proclaim,"  for  the  original,  "  Throughout 
the  world  proclaim."  On  the  other  hand,  he  retains  Wesley's  words  in 
the  following,  commonly  altered,  lines  :  "Extol  the  Lamb  of  God," 
"  Shall  have  it  back  unbought,"  "  Redemption  hy  his  blood,"  "  Ye  mourn- 
ful souls,  be  glad." 


BIBLICAL   STYLE   OP  HTMNS. 


207 


Heber  and  Henry  Kirke  White ;  yet  more,  that  it  has 
been  sanctified  by  Isaiah  or  Jeremiah.  A  profound 
emotion  is  often  excited,  by  the  sudden  out-breaking 
of  an  inspired  thought  or  phrase  from  the  human 
song.  The  Bible,  too,  is  our  standard  of  sentiment, 
as  well  as  style,  and  it  is  often  an  advantage  to  see 
that  our  poetry  is  the  exact  expression  of  revealed 
science.  "  Show  thy  reconciling  face,"  is  not  only 
more  poetical,  but  more  instructive  and  biblical  than 
"  Show  thy  reconciled  face," '  as,  in  the  scriptures, 
God  is  repeatedly  affirmed  to  "  reconcile "  men  to 
himself;  never,  to  be  "reconciled"  to  men. 

In  such  changes  as  the  following,  the  biblical  lan- 
guage is  more  nearly  retained,  by  altering  the  phrases 
of  the  hymn : 


Original  Form. 


TFAaf's  man,  say  7,  Lord,  that  Thou 

lov'st 
To  keep  Mm  in  thy  mind  ? 


Thy  friendly  crook  shall  give  me  aid. 
The  med'cine  of  my  broken  heart. 


Till  Christ,  -with  his  reviving  light, 
Over  our  souls  arise. 


Nor  in  thy  righteous  anger  swear, 
T'  exclude  me  from  thy  people's  rest. 

Mark  and  revenge  iniquity. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

ffymn  170. 

Lord,  what  is  man,  that  thou  shouldst 

deign 
To  bear  him  in  thy  mind  ? 

Hymn  219. 
Thy  friendly  rod  shall  give  me  aid. 

Hymn  253. 
The  healing  of  my  broken  heart. 

Hymn  312. 
Till  Christ,  with  his  reviving  light. 
Upon  our  souls  arise. 

Hymn  461. 
Nor  in  thy  righteous  anger  swear 
I  shall  not  see  thy  people's  rest. 

Hymn  600. 
Be  strict  to  mark  iniquity. 


'  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  55.    See  also  Presbyterian  (0.  S.)  Col- 
lection. 


208 


BIBLICAL   STYLE   OF   HYMNS. 


Original  Form. 


A  fane  unbuilt  by  hands. 

Being  of  beings  !  may  our  praise 
Thy  courts  with  grateful  fragrance 
fill. 

Sweet  cherubs  learn  Immanuel's 
name. 

The  antidote  of  death. 

Fanned  by  some  angel's  purple 
wing. 

"  The  Lord  has  risen  indeed : 
Then  hell  has  lost  its  prey." 


Jesus,  our  Lord,  arise  ! 
Scatter  our  enemies 
And  make  them  fall. 


Up  to  the  Lord  our  flesh  shall  fly. 
That  were  a  present  far  too  small. 

The  Patron  of  mankind  appears. 


Come,  at  the  shrine  of  God  fervently 
kneel. 


Where  is,  0  Grave  !  thy  victory  now  1 
And  where,  insidious  Death,  thy 
sting  ? 


Say  "  Live  forever,  wondrous  king : 
Born  to  redeem  and  strong  to  save  ! 
Then  ask  the  monster,  where's  his 

sting. 
And  where's  thy  victory,  boasting 

grave  ? 

Nor  leave  thy  sacred  seat. 

And,  midst  tk'  embraces  of  his  God. 


Sabbath  Htmn  Book. 

Hymn  1038. 
A  house  not  made  by  hands. 

Lord  God  of  hosts !  oh !   may  our 

praise 
Thy  courts  with  grateful  incense  fill. 

Bright  seraphs  learn  Immanuel's 
name. 

The  conqueror  of  death. 

Fanned  by  some  guardian  angel's 
wing. 

The  Lord  is  risen  indeed  : 
The  grave  has  lost  its  prey. 

Hymn  474. 
Jesus,  our  Lord,  descend; 
From  all  our  foes  defend: 
Nor  let  us  fall. 

Hymn  1210. 
Up  to  the  Lord  our  souls  shall  fly. 

Hymn  316. 
That  were  an  offering  far  too  small. 

Hymn  85.5. 
The  Guardian  of  mankind  appears. 

Hymn  952. 
Come  to  the  mercy-seat,  fervently 
kneel. 

Hymn  1193. 
0  Grave,  where  is  thy  victory  now  ? 
And  where,  0  Death,  where  is  thy 
sting  1 

Hymn  388. 
Say,  "  Live  forever,  glorious  King, 
Born  to  redeem,  and  strong  to  save ; 
Where  now,   0  Death,  where  is   thy 

sting "? 
And  where's  thy  victory,  boasting 

grave  1 
Nor  leave  thy  mercy  seat. 
Hymn  873. 
And,  in  the  Father's  bosom  blest. 


EVANGELICAL   STYLE  OP  HYMNS. 


209 


Obiginal,  Form. 

Thy  sacramental  cup  I'll  take. 
Oh  hid  us  turn,  Almighty  Lord  ! 

Erect  your  heads,  eternal  gates. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Salvation's  sacred  cup  I'll  take. 

Oh  turn  us,  turn  us,  mighty  Lord  ! 

Eyrnn  363. 
Lift  up  your  heads,  eternal  gates. 


There  are  many  hymns  which,  if  they  do  not 
become  more  biblical  in  language,  yet  become  more 
biblical,  or  at  least  more  evangelical  in  sentiment  and 
spirit,  by  slight  modifications  of  their  style.  Some- 
times they  contain  phrases  of  classical  but  pagan 
origin ;  sometimes,  of  the  fashionable  secular  poetry ; 
sometimes,  of  economical  prose ;  which  may  weU  be 
exchanged  for  phrases  more  intimately  associated  with 
the  Gospel. 


Oeiginal  Form:. 

He  rears  his  red  right  arm  on  high, 
And  ruin  bares  the  sword. 


Altered  Form. 

I  He  rears  his  mighty  arm  on  high, 
j  They  fail  before  his  sword. 


The  muse  stands  trembling  while  she  I  My  soul  stands  trembling  while  she 


smgs. 
Chained  to  his  throne  a  volume  lies. 
Go,  return,  immortal  Saviour  ! 

He  bids  his  blasts  the  fields  deform  ; 

Then,  when  his  thunders  cease, 
He  sits  like  an  angel  'mid  the  storm, 

And  smiles  the  winds  to  peace. 

The  king  of  terrors,  then,  would  be 
A  welcome  messenger  to  me, 

That  bids  me  come  away  : 
Unclogged  by  earth  or  earthly  things, 
I'd  mount  upon  his  sable  wings 

To  everlasting  day. 


smgs. 
Before  his  throne  a  volume  lies. 

Reascend,  immortal  Saviour  ! 

He  bids  his  gales  the  fields  deform  ; 

Then,  when  his  thunders  cease, 
He  paints  his  rainboio  on  the  stonii, 

And  lulls  the  winds  to  peace. 

The  king  of  terrors,  then,  would  be 
A  welcome  messenger  to  me, 

To  bid  me  come  away  : 
Unclogged  by  earth  or  earthly  things, 
I'd  mount,  I'd  fly  with  eager  wings. 

To  everlasting  day. 


It   is   indeed   a   biblical   truth   that   there  are    evil 
spirits,  and   that  incorrigible  men  will  be  consigned 

18* 


210  "  GOD   THE   MIGHTY   MAKER   DIED." 

to  "  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his 
angely."  But  the  Bible  does  not  inform  us  of  the 
unrenewed  soul,  that  "  devils  plunge  it  down  to  hell." 
This  line  of  Dr.  Watts  produces  an  impression  more 
exactly  biblical,  and  better  adapted  to  the  spirit  of 
sacred  harmony,  if  it  be  modified,  at  least  as  much 
as  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  H.  1172: 

Up  to  the  courts  where  angels  dwell, 
It  [the  soul]  mounts  triumphant  there, 

Or  plunges  guilty  down  to  hell, 
In  infinite  despair. 

Hymnologists  have  differed  among  themselves  with 
regard  to  the  propriety  of  the  line :  "  When  God  the 
mighty  Maker  died."  ^  The  Connecticut  Hymn  Book 
has  written  it  :  "  When  Christ,  the  Lord  of  glory 
died."  The  Church  Psalmody  has  :  "  When  Christ 
th'  almighty  Saviour  died."  Others  have  :  "  When 
Christ,  the  mighty  Saviour  died,"  or  "  When  the 
almighty  Saviour  died,"  or  "  When  Christ,  the  mighty 
Maker  died."  The  line  is  thus  changed,  because  it 
is  said  to  be  unscriptural,  as  well  as  revolting,  to 
speak  of  the  death  of  God.  Others  contend  that  the 
idea  is  scriptural,  and  they  refer  to  the  passage  (of 
which  there  are  various  readings,  however)  :  "  Feed 
the  church  of  God^  which  he  hath  purchased  with  his 
own  blood;"  Acts  20:28.  But  the  contested  line  of 
Watts  has  become  endeared  to  so  many  Christians, 
and  is  so  carefully  inwrought  into  the  inmost  texture 
of    his    celebrated    Hymn    (the    ninth   of   his    second 

'  An  old  German  hymn  contains  the  couplet : 
0  welcher  noth 
Gott  selbst  ist  todt. 


"  GOD   THE   SAVIOUR  LOVED   AND  DIED."  211 

book),  that  it  is  probably  safer  to  retain  it,  even 
although  it  is  repugnant  to  the  tastes  of  a  large,  and 
certainly  an  honored,  minority  of  those  who  use  it. 
A  similar  reason  exists  for  retaining  the  lines,  "  Be- 
held our  rising  God,"  and  "  The  rising  God  forsakes 
the  tomb,"  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymns  59, 
858.  Still  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that  the  ordinary 
style  of  the  Bible  is  to  represent  Christy  rather  than 
God^  as  dying  ;  just  as  it  represents  God,  and  not 
the  son  of  Mary,  as  eternal.  The  usual  style  of  the 
Bible  then  is  more  exactly  represented  by  the  lines  : 

"  Oh,  the  sweet  wonders  of  that  cross 

Where  my  Redeemer  loved  and  died ; " 
{Hymn  348.) 

than  by  the  original  lines  of  Watts  : 

"  Oh,  the  sweet  wonders  of  that  cross, 

Where  God  the  Saviour  loved  and  died." 

One  of  Dr.  Watts's  deeply  affecting  hymns  begins 
thus  :  "  Here  at  thy  cross,  my  dying;  God."  The 
Presbyterian  (Old  School)  Collection  modifies  the  line  : 
"  Here  at  thy  cross,  incarnate  God."  The  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book  substitutes  the  words,  "  my  gracious 
Lord."  In  the  fourth  stanza  of  the  hymn,  Watts 
wrote: 

Hosanna  to  my  dying  God, 

And  my  best  honors  to  his  name. 

The  Presbyterian  (Old  School)  Collection  expunges 
dying-  and  supplies  its  place  by  "  Saviour."  The 
Sabbath  Hymn   Book  has  : 

Hosanna  to  my  Saviour  God, 
And  loudest  praises  to  his  name. 


212  DIGNITY   OF  HYMNS. 

Whatever  of  doubt  may  linger  in  any  mind  with 
regard  to  the  wisdom  of  these  changes,  there  can  be 
none  with  regard  to  the  impropriety  of  such  stanzas 
as  those  of  Watts,  Book  I.  13  : 

"  This  infant  is  the  mighty  God, 
Come  to  be  suckled  and  adored." 

Dr.  Worcester  omitted  this  couplet  from  his  Christian 
Psalmody,  but  felt  compelled  to  insert  it  in  his  Wor- 
cester's Watts. 

We  are  accustomed  to  the  biblical  phrases :  Christ 
will  draw  all  men  unto  him,  the  Father  draivs  his 
children  to  him ;  but  we  are  not  so  much  wonted  to 
the  phrase,  that  God  forces  us  to  become  his  friends. 
Therefore,  it  is  more  agreeable  to  the  inspired  idiom 
to  celebrate  the  love  "  That  sweetly  drew  us  in,"  than 
the  love  "That  sweetly /orcec?  us  in;"  see  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book,  Hymn  1055. 


§  11.  Alterations  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Dignity, 

"  Lift  up  thy  feet,  and  march  in  haste."  This  is 
the  call  sent  up  to  Jehovah  in  the  seventy-fourth  of 
Dr.  Watts's  Psalms.  It  is  made  more  harmonious 
to  an  occidental  ear,  by  an  alteration  in  the  Church 
Psalmist :  ^  "  Oh,  come  to  our  relief  in  haste."  It  is 
defended  by  some  as  an  imitation  of  the  old  Hebrew 
Psalm  74 :  3.  But  this  may  be  translated :  "  Lift  thy 
steps  to  the  perpetual  ruins."  Besides,  if  our  Eng- 
lish version  were   the  only  accurate  one  :   "  Lift  up 

'  Presbyterian  (New  School)  Hymn  Book,  Ps.  74. 


DIGNITY   OF  HYMNS.  213 

thy  feet  unto  the  perpetual  desolations,"  it  would  not 
justify  the  paraphrase  of  Watts.  There  are  inspired 
words',  which  ought  not  to  be  repeated  except  with 
literal  exactness.  This  version  of  Watts  is  one  exam- 
ple ;  there  are  many  far  more  faulty  instances,  proving 
that  in  the  heat  of  the  first  composition,  an  author 
sometimes  neglects,  if  he  does  not  despise,  that  ele- 
vated manner,  which,  even  when  dependent  on  the 
minutioB  of  rhetoric,  is  singularly  conducive  to  the 
great  ends  of  worship.  A  change  so  insignificant  as 
that  of  the  familiar,  for  the  solemn  style,  will  often 
elevate  a  domestic  song  into  a  sacred  hymn,  a  stirring 
lyric  into  a  solemn  prayer.  "  To  what  a  stubborn 
frame,  Hath  sin  reduced  our  mind,"  is  a  more  dig- 
nified couplet  than  the  original  "  Has  sin,"  etc.  A 
mother,  retiring  from  her  household  for  her  twilight 
devotion,  may  well  sing,  "  I  love  to  steal  awhile  away, 
From  little  ones  and  care ; "  but  when  she  prepares 
thes^  lines  for  the  sanctuary,  she  may  exalt  them  by 
saying,  "  From  every  cumbering  care."  Dr.  Watts,  in 
view  of  death,  addresses  his  Saviour  thus  :  "  Scarce 
shall  I  feel  death's  cold  embrace.  If  Christ  be  in  my 
arms."  The  Presbyterian  (N.  S.)  Hymn  Book  has 
made  the  line  less  indecorous  by  changing  it  thus  : 
"  While  in  the  Saviour's  arms."  Many  a  hymn  com- 
posed for  the  seclusion  of  private  thought,  has  ad- 
mitted commonplaces  which  need  to  be  transformed 
into  more  select  idioms,  when  that  same  hymn  is 
ti'ansferred  from  the  closet  to  the  temple.  The  per- 
secuted Madame  Guyon  wrote  in  a  familiar  way : 

"  My  Love,  how  full  of  sweet  content 
I  pass  my  years  of  banishment !  " 


214  DIGNITY  OF  HYMNS. 

but  in  the  assembly  of  worshippers  at  the  house  of 
God,  it  is  more  appropriate  to  sing ; 

"  0  Lord^  how  full  of  sweet  content 
Our  years  of  pilgrimage  are  spent  1 "  * 

A  favorite  hymn  of  Watts  ^  begins  with  the  stanza : 

He  dies,  the  Heavenly  Lover  dies ! 

The  tidings  strike  a  doleful  sound 
On  my  poor  heart-strings :  deep  he  lies 

In  the  cold  caverns  of  the  ground. 

But  there  is  a  greater  majesty,  as  well  as  a  delicate 
and  biblical  propriety,  in  the  stanza  as  thus  trans- 
formed by  John  Wesley : 

He  dies  !  the  Friend  of  sinners  dies; 

Lo!  Salem* s  daughters  weep  around: 
A  solemn  darkness  vails  the  skies  ; 

A  sudden  trembling  shakes  the  ground. 

So  in  the  following  instances,  there  is  either  a  famil- 
iarity or  an  uncouthness  which  may  fitly  give  place 
to  a  more  elevated  style : 


Original  Form. 


When  he,  dear  Lord,  will  bring  me 
home. 


I  yield  to  thy  dear  conquering  arms. 
Sweet  Jesus  !  every  smile  of  thine. 

'  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  140.  «  Ibid.,  Hymn  358 


Sabbath  Hymn  book. 

Hymn  433. 
When  my  dear  Lord  will  bring  me 
home. 

Hymn  435. 
Incarnate  God  1  now  to  thine  arms. 


Hymn  1252. 
My  Saviour  !  every  smile  of  thine. 


DIGNITY  OF  HYMNS. 


215 


Original  Form. 
O  dear  almighty  Lord. 


Jesus  !  my  Shepherd,   Husband, 
Friend. 


Shepherd,  Brother,  Husband,  Friend. 


Oh,  that  I  could  forever  sit 
With  Mary,  at  the  Master's  feet. 

.    (Wesley.) 

Oh  that  I  could  forever  dwell 
With  Mary,  at  my  Saviour's  feet. 
(Dr.  Reed.) 

While  his  [God's]  left  hand  my  head 
sustains. 


Here  speaks  the  Comforter,  in  God's 
name,  saying. 

And  hreaks  the  cursed  chain. 

By  power  oppressed,  and  mocked 

by  pride,  — 
O  God !  is  this  the  crucified  ? 

Things  of  precious  Christ  he  took. 
Gave  us  hearts  and  eyes  to  look. 


Meet  it  is  that  we  should  oum, 

What  thy  grace  has  done  for  us  : 

Saved  we  are  by  grace  alone  ; 
And  we  joy  to  have  it  thus. 


My  soul  doth  long,  and  almost  die, 
'Thy  courts,  O  Lord,  to  see. 


He  shaU  be  damned,  who  wont  believe. 


Uphold  thou  me,  and  I  shall  stand. 
Fight,  and  I  shall  prevail. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hymn  440, 
0  thou  almighty  Lord. 

Hymn  441. 
Jesus,  my  Shepherd,  Guardian, 
Friend. 

Hymn  442. 
Shepherd,  Brother,  Lord  and  Friend. 

Hymn  703. 
Oh  that  I  could  forever  sit 
In  transport,  at  my  Saviour's  feet. 

Hymn  788. 
Oh  that  I  could  forever  dwell 
Delighted  at  the  Saviour's  feet. 

Hymn  886. 
While  he  my  sinking  head  sustains. 

Hymn  952. 
Here  speaks  the  Comforter,  tenderly 
saying. 

Hymn  312. 
And  breaks  th'  accursed  chain. 

Hymn  1267. 
By  power  oppressed,  and  mocked  by 

pride,  — 
The  Nazarene,  the  crucified. 

Filled  our  minds  with  grief  and  fear, 
Brought  the  precious  Saviour  near. 

Hymn  1007. 
Joyful  are  we  now  to  own, 

Rapture  thrills  us,  as  we  trace 
All  the  deeds  thy  love  has  done. 

All  the  riches  of  thy  grace. 

Hymn  13, 
My  soul  doth  long,  and  fainting  sigh, 
Thy  courts,  O  Lord,  to  see. 

Hymn  1135. 
And  they  condemned  who  disbelieve. 

Hymn  1237. 
Uphold  thou  me,  and  I  shall  stand, 
Help,  and  I  shall  prevaiL 


216 


VIVACITY  OF  HYMNS. 


Original  For3i. 

Such  peace  as  reason  never  planned, 
As  worldlings  never  knew. 


/  want  a  principle  within 
Of  jealous,  godly  fear; 

A  sensibility  to  sin, 
A  pain  to  feel  it  near. 


I  want  that  grace  that  springs  from 
thee.     (Cowper.) 

And  when  his  saints  complain, 
It  sha'nt  be  said,  etc. 

From  now  my  weary  soul  release. 
Oft  abused  Thee  to  thy  face. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Such  peace  as  reason  never  planned. 
Nor  sinners  ever  knew. 

Hymn  635. 
Oh  for  a  principle  within. 

Of  jealous,  godl)'^  fear ; 
Oh  for  a  tender  dread  of  sin, 

A  pain  to  feel  it  near. 

Hymn  708. 
Oh  for  that  grace  which  springs  from 
thee. 

Hymn  1034. 
Nor  when  his  saints  complain, 
Shall  it  be  said,  etc. 

Hymn  461. 
0  Lord,  my  weary  soul  release. 

Hymn  592. 
Oft  have  sinned  before  thy  face. 


§  12.   Oianges  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Vivacity, 

"  There  is  no  other  name  than  thine,"  "  O  speak 
of  Jesus,"  "  I  lay  my  sins  on  Jesus,"  "  O  gift  of  gifts, 
O  Grace  of  Faith,"  "  'Tis  not  that  I  did  choose  thee," 
"  Oh  where  is  he  that  trod  the  sea,"  "  Come,  let  us 
sing  the  song  of  songs,"  "I've  found  the  pearl  of 
greatest  price,"  "  There  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown," 
"  Thou  must  go  forth  alone,  my  soul,"  "  That  solemn 
hour  will  come  for  me,"  "  Gently,  my  Saviour,  let 
me  down,"  "  No,  no,  it  is  not  dying,"  "  I  love  thee, 
O  my  God,"  "  Jesus,  the  very  thought  of  thee,"  "  Thy 
mighty  working,  mighty  God,"  "  Oft  in  sorrow,  oft  in 
woe,"  "  Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus,"  "  Oh  where 
are  kings  and  empires  now,"^  —  as  we   listen  to  the 


'  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  302,  434,  746,  240,  297,  339,  439,  753,  1173, 
1174,  1183,  1177,  681,  687,  1154,  896,  902,  1038. 


VIVACITY    OF   HYMNS.  217' 

ring  of  the  true  metal  in  lyrics  like  these,  we  long  for 
the  day  when  men  will  be  allured  to  the  sanctuary 
by  the  liveliness  of  the  song,  and  the  heartiness  with 
which  the  whole  assembly  offer  it  to  the  Lord.  We 
are  confident  that  often  the  vivacity  of  hymns  has 
been  impaired  by  so  altering  them,  as  to  secure  some 
other  excellence.  In  aiming  at  one  perfection,  critics 
have,  here  and  there,  sacrificed  a  different  and  a 
higher  one.  The  allegation  is  not  true,  however,  that 
the  changes  in  our  psalmody  have  always  been  in- 
tended to  improve  its  musical  adaptation,  at  the 
expense  of  its  poetic  liveliness.  Certainly  this  has 
not  been  the  design  of  such  changes  as  :  "  Swift  on 
the  wings  of  time  it  flies,"  for  "  On  ail  the  wings 
of  time  it  flies ; "  "  Wide  let  the  earth  resound  the 
deeds;"  for  "Let  the  wide  earth  resound  the  deeds;" 
"  Come  let  ks  bow  before  his  feet,"  for  "  Noio  we  may 
bow  before  his  feet."  Instead  of  deadening  our  psalm- 
ody, wise  alterations  will  enliven  it.  Many  hymns,  — 
frequently  those  of  Doddridge,  —  gain  a  new  anima- 
tion by  so  slight  a  change  as  that  of  a  masculine  or 
feminine  for  a  neuter  pronoun ;  a  singular  for  a  plural 
noun ;  the  present  for  the  past  tense,  thus : 


Original  Form. 


Still  would  my  spirit  rest  on  thee, 
Its  Saviour  and  its  God. 


Till  love  dissolves  my  inmost  soul, 
At  its  Redeemer's  feet. 


And  tell  the  boldest  ybes  without 
That  Jesus  reigns  within. 


God  of  mv  life  through  all  its  days 

19 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hymn  736. 
Still  would  my  spirit  rest  on  thee, 
My  Saviour  and  my  God. 

Hymn  736. 
Till  love  dissolves  my  inmost  soul, 
At  my  Redeemer's  feet. 

Hymn  736. 
And  tell  the  boldest /oe  without 
That  Jesus  reigns  within. 

Hymn  961. 
God  of  my  life  through  all  my  days. 


218 


PRIVATE   AND    GENERAL   EXPRESSIONS. 


Original  Form. 

Wlien  death  o'er  nature  shall  pre- 
vail, 
And  all  its  powers  of  language  fail. 


In  wild  dismay      li^eZZ  to  the  ground 
The  guard  around!  And  suiik  away. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hymn  961. 
When  death  o'er  nature  shall  pre- 
vail, 
And  all  mi/  powers  of  language  fail. 

Hymn  356. 
In  wild  dismay      \Fall  to  the  ground 
The  guard  around |  And  sink  away. 


It  is  an  interesting  fact,  that  the  same  excellences 
which  augment  the  solemnity  of  worship,  may  also 
favor  its  vivacity.  While  they  prevent  giddiness  they 
promote  liveliness.  The  prayer  is  more  animating 
than  the  history;  the  personal  appeal,  than  the  in- 
structive comment.  Dr.  Watts  wrote  the  inimitable 
poem,  "  Keep  silence  all  created  thing-Sj'^  in  twelve 
stanzas,  not  designed  at  first  for  public  worship,  but 
now  adapted  to  the  sanctuary  by  omitting  a  third  or 
half  of  its  verses.  As  thus  accommodated  we  often 
find  the  animated  prayer :  "  My  God,  I  would  not  long- 
to  see.  My  fate  with  curious  eyes."  But  in  the  original, 
we  have  the  more  biographical  and  less  precative  an- 
nouncement :  "  My  God,  I  never  longed  to  see,"  etc. 

The  following  Hymn  of  Doddridge  becomes  the 
more  inspiriting,  when  it  is  felt  to  be  our  own  pres- 
e?it  utterance  in  relation  to  present  scenes  ;  our  united 
expression  of  what  is,  rather  than  an  individual  and 
historical  narrative  of  what  was. 


The  Private  Poem. 

My  Helper  God  !  I  bless  his  name  : 
Tlie  same  his  power,  his  grace  the 
same. 


The  General  Hymn.  ' 

Our  Helper  God !  ive  bless  thy  name, 
The  same  thy  power,  thy  grace  the 


1  See  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  1151.  The  same  is  found  in 
the  Presbyterian  (N.  S.)  Collection,  and  with  different  modifications  in 
"Hymns  for  the  Church  of  Ciirist,"  compiled  by  Drs.  Hedge  and  Hun- 
tington. 


CHANGE   OF  METRE. 


219 


The  Private  Poem. 

The  tokens  of  his  friendly  care, 
Open,  and   crowni,  and   close    the 
year. 

I  'midst  ten  thousand  dangers  stand, 
Supported  by  his  guardian  hand  ; 
And  see.  when  /  survey  my  ways, 
Ten  thousand  monuments  of  praise. 

Thus  far  his  arm  hath  led  me  on  ; 
Thus  far  I  make  his  mercy  known  ; 
And  while  I  tread  this  desert  land, 
New  mercies  shall  new  songs  de- 
mand. 


The  General  Hymn. 

The  tokens  of  thy  loving  care 
Open   and   crown   and   close   the 
year. 

Amid  ten  thousand  snares  we  stand, 
Supported  by  thy  guardian  hand  ; 
And  see,  when  we  survey  our  ways, 
Ten  thousand  monuments  of  praise. 

Thus  far  thine  arm  hath  led  vs  on  ; 
Thus  far  ice  make  thy  mercy  known  : 
And  while  loe  tread  this  desert  land, 
New  mercies  shall  new  songs  de- 
mand. 


My  grateful  soul,  on  Jordan's  shore.   Our  grateful  soids  on  Jordan's  shore. 
Shall  raise  one  sacred  pillar  more  ;    [  Shall  raise  one  sacred  pillar  more  ; 
Then  bear  in  his  bright  courts  above, '  Then  bear  in  thy  bright  courts  above, 
Inscriptions  of  immortal  love.  j  Inscriptions  of  immortal  love. 


Sometimes  the  vivacity  of  a  hymn  is  increased,  by 
changing  its  measure  from  the  long  to  the  common. 
The  common  metre  is  more  permanently  enlivening, 
than  any  other.  Hence  it  is  the  prevailing  measure 
of  the  old  English  ballad.  By  repeating  several  times 
continuously  a  stanza  in  the  long  metre  (having  four 
lines,  each  of  them  divided  into  eight  syllables,  fom- 
feet),  and  then  immediately  repeating  a  stanza  of  the 
common  metre  (having  four  lines,  of  which  the  first 
and  third  have  four  feet,  eight  syllables,  and  the 
second  and  fourth  have  only  three  feet,  six  syllables), 
we  cannot  fail  to  notice  the  superior  ease,  elasticity, 
liveliness  of  the  more  varied  measure.  Let  the  experi- 
ment be  tried  on  the  simple  letters  of  the  alphabet, 
arranged  in  Iambic  feet,  and  by  frequent  repetition  of 
them,  especially  with  music,  we  soon  become  wearied 
with  the  long-drawn  monotony  of  the  one  measure, 
and  are  suddenly  relieved  by  the  quicker,  more  flexile 
movement  of  the  other.     We  are  aware  that  the  senti- 


220 


CHANGE   OF   METRE. 


ment  of  some  hymns  requires  the  majestic  and  uni- 
form rhythm  of  the  old  "hundredth  psalm.  "  Not  to 
the  mount  that  burned  with  flame,"  "  Lord,  my  weak 
thought  in  vain  would  climb,"  "  Thee  we  adore,  eter- 
nal Lord,"  are  the  first  lines  of  hymns  too  majestic 
for  the  measure  of  the  English  ballad.  But  the  sen- 
timent of  many  other  hymns  is  more  congenially 
expressed  in  that  ballad  form.  For  instance,  the 
eighteenth  psalm  of  Tate  and  Brady,  contains  forty- 
four  stanzas  in  long  metre,  of  which  four  are  ordi- 
narily extracted  for  a  modern  hymn.  The  following 
are  the  four  stanzas,  and  in  a  parallel  column  are 
the  same  in  the  more  quickening  measure :  ^ 


Original  Form. 

No  change  of  times  shall  ever  shock 
My  firm  aifection,  Lord,  to  thee; 

For  thou  liast  always  been  my  rock, 
A  fortress  and  defense  to  me. 

Thou  7111/  deliverer  art,  my  God ; 

My  trust  is  in  thy  mighty  power ; 
Thou   art   my  shield  from  foes 
abrorul, 
At  home,  my  safeguard  and  my 
tower. 

To  thee  1  loill  addi-ess  my  prayer, 
To  whom  all  praise  we  justly  owe ; 

So  shall  /,  by  thy  watchful  care. 
Be  guarded  from  my  treach'rous  foe. 

Who  then  deserves  to  be  adored 
But  God,  on  whom  my  hopes  de- 
pend ; 

Or  who,  except  the  mighty  Lord, 
Can  with  resistless  power  defend  ? 


Altered  Form. 

No  change  of  time  shall  ever  shock 
My  trust,  O  Lord,  in  thee; 

For  thou  hast  always  been  my  Rock, 
A  sure  defense  to  me.  • 

Thou  my  deliv'rer  art,  O  God ; 

My  trust  is  in  thy  power ; 
Thou   art  my  shield  from  foes 
abroad, 

My  safeguard,  and  my  tower. 


To  thee  will  1  address  my  prayer, 
To  whom  all  praise  /  owe  ; 

So  shall  /,  by  thy  watchful  care, 
Be  saved /rom  every  foe. 

Then  let  Jehovah,  he  adored, 
On  whom  my  hopes  depend  ; 

For  who,  except  the  mighty  Lord, 
His  people  can  defend  1 


1  The  altered  form  is  found  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  669. 
Substantially  the  same  alterations  are  in  the  Psalmist,  the  popular 
Hymn  Book  of  the  Baptists,  also  in  the  Church  Psalmody,  and  other 
collections.  For  similar  changes  of  metre  in  the  Connecticut  Collection, 
see  Psalm  93,  second  version;  also  Hymn  319. 


CHANGE   OF  METRE. 


221 


A  favorite  hymn  in  six  stanzas  by  William  Bengo 
Collier  has  been  reduced  to  four  stanzas,  and  also 
pruned  of  its  superfluous  words,  and  in  becoming 
more  concise,  has  taken  a  movement  more  rapid,  and 
more  appropriate  to  the  stirring  sentiment  of  the  lines : 


Original  Foem. 


Ketura,  O  wanderer,  return ! 

He  heard  thy  deep  repentant  sigh ; 
He  saw  thy  softened  spirit  mourn, 

When  no  intruding  ear  was  nigh. 

Eetum,  0  wanderer,  return, 

And  wipe  away  the  falHng  tear ; 
'Tis  God  who  says,  no  longer  mourn  ; 
^    '  Tis  mercy's  voice  invites  thee  near. 


Church  Psalmody. 
Hymn  263. 

Return,  O  wanderer,  now  return ! 

He  hears  thy  humble  sigh ; 
He  sees  thy  softened  spirit  mourn, 

When  no  one  else  is  nigh.    . 

Return,  O  wanderer,  noiu  return, 

And  wipe  the  falling  tear  ! 
Thy  Father  calls  —  no  longer  mourn ; 
^Tis  love  invites  thee  near.i 


In  like  manner,  a  hymn  of  Swain,  "  Firmly  I  stand 
on  Zion's  mount,"  "  The  lofty  hills  and  stately  towers," 
"  The  vaulted  Heavens  shall  melt  away  J"*  was  reduced 
by  the  editors  of  the  Connecticut  Collection  from  the 
common  to  the  short  metre  by  simply  omitting  the 
words  "firmly"  and  "stately,"  and  changing  melt 
away  into  '•'-fallP  Is  not  the  change  vivifying  ?  Com- 
pare Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  681,  with  Church 
Psalmody,  Hymn  429. 

The  old  English  ballad  metre  not  only  gives  to 
some  hymns  more  vivacity  than  they  would  have  in 
the  stately  march  of  four  uniform  feet,  but  it  also 
sometimes  makes  their  style  less  flaunting,  and  more 


1  The  adverb  "now"  is  inserted  in  the  first  line  of  e:uh  stanza 
because  the  word  "wanderer"  is  in  fact  ordinarily  sung  \\\\\\  only  two 
syllables,  and  has  a  drawling  sound  when  sung  with  three.  The  Psidmist, 
edited  by  Rev.  Dr.  Baron  Stowe,  and  by  Rev.  S.  F.  Smith,  avoids  this 
trisyllabic  utterance  of  "  wanderer,"  so  tedious  in  song,  by  substituting 
the  words:  "Return,  my  wandering  soul,  return." 

19* 


222  PROSAIC   WORDS. 

appropriate  to  the  worship  of  God.  The  majestic 
hymn  of  Mrs.  Barbauld,  "When  as  returns  this  solemn 
day,"  1  if  used  as  a  poem  to  be  read^  should  not  be 
reduced  to  the  common  metre ;  but  when  it  is  sung  in 
the  solemn  assembly,  there  is  a  greater  chasteness,  a 
more  modest  reverence,  more  sober  earnestness  in  the 
lines  :  "  Shall  clouds  of  incense  rise  ; "  "  The  costly 
sacrifice  ; "  "  Thine  offerings  well  may  spare ;"  than  in 
the  original  lines  :  "  Shall  curling'  clouds  of  incense 
rise ; "  "  The  costly  pomp  of  sacrifice ; "  "  Thy  golden 
offerings  well  may  spare." 

"  Praise  to  the  Spirit  Paraclete ; "  "  Above  the  ruin- 
able  skies;"  "Sweet  lenitive  of  grief  and  care;"  "In* 
all  the  plenitude  of  grace  ;"  "  Be  universal  honors  paid, 
Coequal  honors  done;"  "  Their  name  of  earthly  gods 
is  vain;"  "An  instantaneous  night;"  "Thou  dwell- 
est  in  self-existent  light  ; "  "  With  serious  industry 
and  fear  ; "  "  Ye  dangerous  inmates^  hence  depart ; " 
"  Tell  me,  Radiancy  divine  ; "  "  Unmeasurably  high  ; " 
"  T'  invigorate  my  faint  desires  ; "  "  Ye  specious  baits 
of  sense  ; "  "  With  diligence  may  I  pursue  ;  "  —  all 
verses  like  the  above,  containing  long,  Greek,  Latin, 
abstract,  or  prosaic  words,  tend  to  benumb  a  lyric, 
and  may  sometimes  be  made  more  vivid  by  modifica- 
tions like  the  following : 


Original  Torm. 

Great  God  !  I  would  not  ask  to  see 
What  my  futurity  shall  be. 


Jesus  dissipates  its  gloom. 

Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  41. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hymn  234. 
Great  God  !  I  would  not  ask  to  see 
What  in  my  coming  life  shall  be. 

Hymn  360. 
Jesus  scatters  all  its  gloom. 


SOLEMNITY  OF  HYMNS. 


223 


Okigixal  Form. 

Dark  and  cheerless  is  the  mom 
Unaccompanied  by  thee. 

Oh,  sweetly  influence  every  breast. 

Should  I,  to  gain  the  -world's  ap- 
plause, 
Or  to  escape  its  harmless  frown, 
Refuse  to  countenance  thy  cause. 

The  captive  surety  now  is  freed. 

Thine  obvious  glory  shine. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  425. 
Dark  and  cheerless  is  the  mom, 
If  thy  light  is  hid  from  me. 

Hymn  531. 
Oh,  sweetly  reign  in  every  breast. 

Hymn  802. 
Should  I,  to  gain  the  world's  ap- 
plause. 
Or  to  escape  its  harmless  frown, 
Refuse  to  love  and  plead  thy  cause. 

Now  is  the  mighty  captive  freed. 
Thy  power  and  glory  shine. 


§  13.  Alterations  in  the  Text,  as  affecting'  its  Solemnity, 
Among  the  mysteries  of  music  is  its  suggestive  and 
its  exciting  power.  A  certain  combination  of  sounds, 
even  when  no  words  accompany  them,  will  carry  the 
mind  captive  into  a  train  of  warlike  sentiments,  and 
stir  it  up  to  martial  exploits ;  while  a  different  combi- 
nation will  awaken  festive  emotions,  and  quicken  both 
the  soul  and  the  body  for  a  joyous  dance.  It  is  need- 
less to  say,  that  such  musical  combinations  are  im- 
proper for  the  temple  song.  It  is  equally  needless  to 
say,  that  they  are  often  introduced  into  the  sanctuary. 
"  The  truth  is,"  —  we  quote  without  fully  endorsing  the 
words  of  a  scientific  musician,  —  "  most  of  the  music 
at  present  heard  in  our  churches  essentially  differs  from 
no  other  music;  sacred  and  secular  music  are  nearly 
identical,  so  far  as  style  is  concerned.  Our  psalm  and 
hymn  tunes  are  constructed  on  the  form  of  the  German 
popular  part-songs.  The  old  English  glee  has  also 
served  as  a  model.  German  convivial  songs,  soldiers' 
songs,  students'  songs,  are  actually  found  bodily  trans- 
ferred to  our  books  of  church  psalmody,  and  are  sung 


224  SOLEMN  WORDS. 

in  our  churches  as  sacred  music.  "  Bekranzt  mit  Lauh 
den  lieben  vollen  Becher^^''  —  "  Wreathe  with  green  the 
flowing  goblet"  —  (a  German  convivial  song),  is  now 
enthusiastically  rendered  to  sacred  words.  And,  on  the 
other  hand,  many  American  psalm  tunes  are  of  so 
essentially  uproarious  a  character,  that  they  might 
equally  well  be  transferred  to  German  Kneipen,  and  as 
admirably  serve  the  purpose  of  these  gatherings  —  so 
far  as  the  music  goes." 

Now  in  order  to  resist  the  fashion  of  introducing 
into  the  sanctuary  the  "  tripping  triplet  measure  "  of 
the  music  for  the  ball-room,  and  the  stately  march  of 
the  music'for  the  army,  we  must  have  hymns  which 
will  prompt  to  the  selection  of  strictly  ecclesiastical 
tunes,  and  which  will  also  control  the  expression  of 
doubtful  melodies.  The  words  which  are  sung  often 
interpret  the  musical  sounds  which  accompany  them, 
and  they  also  lead  to  the  choice  of  appropriate  airs ; 
yet  as  our  choirs  occasionally  sing  tunes  borrowed 
from  the  opera,  so  there  are  Hymn  Books  containing 
lyrics  written  for  the  political,  and  the  festive  gather- 
ing. The  tunes  are  modified  somewhat,  and  so  are 
the  hymns.  But  there  are  lyrics  primarily  designed  for 
the  sanctuary,  and  still  devoid  of  that  solemn  expres- 
sion characteristic  of  the  true  church-song.  These 
should  be  either  rejected  or  amended.  It  is  not  so  well 
to  sing  out  the  order :  "  Shun  the  world's  beivitching 
snares,"  as  to  qualify  it  in  imitation  of  the  mandate : 
"  If  sinners  entice  thee,  consent  thou  not."  In  a  politi- 
cal ode  we  sing  cheerily  of  "  leathern  hearts,"  but  we 
regret  that  a  Book  of  Sanctuary  Songs  has  not  put 
some  other  material  into  the  place  of  leather. 

One  of  the   most  effective   methods  of  promoting 


DEVOTIONAL  HYMNS. 


225 


solemnity  in  the  temple  song,  is  to  make  it  a  direct  ad- 
dress to  Jehovah.  The  inspired  Psalms  would  be  less 
solemn  than  they  now  are,  if  all  of  them  were  written 
in  the  same  style  as  the  1st,  2d,  11th,  23d,  24th,  29th, 
47th,  50th,  53d,  81st,  87th,  91st,  95th,  96th,  98th,  100th, 
103d,  105th,  107th,  110th,  111th,  112th,  113th,  114th, 
117th,  122d,  127th,  128th,  129th,  133d,  134th,  136th, 
146th,  147th,  148th,  149th,  150th.  But  in  many  mod- 
ern hymn  books,  a  large  number  of  the  inspired 
Psalms  which  do  contain  express  appeals  to  God,  are 
so  altered  that  they  come  to  resemble  the  above-named 
Psalms  which  do  not  contain  such  appeals.  We  can- 
not vouch  for  the  accuracy  of  the  statement,  but  we 
have  seen  the  statement  made  by  a  professional  musi- 
cian, that  in  the  Episcopal  Prayer  Book  only  sixty-three 
in  a  hundred  lyrics  are  ^'•purely  devotional,"  in  the 
Church  Psalmist  only  fifty -three  in  a  hundred,  while  in 
the  inspired  Psalms  there  are  ninety-two  in  a  hundred; 
in  the  Episcopal  Prayer  Book  fifteen  in  a  hundred  are 
''Hnstructive  and  devotional,"  in  the  Church  Psalmist 
there  are  twenty-three  in  a  hundred,  and  in  the  Bibli- 
cal Psalms  only  eight  in  a  hundred ;  that  in  the  Epis- 
copal Prayer  Book  twelve  in  a  hundred  are  "purely 
instructive^^''  in  the  Church  Psalmist  there  are  seven- 
teen in  a  hundred,  but  in  the  inspired  Psalms  only 
two  in  a  hundred.  Such  a  disproportion  would  not 
exist,  if  the  poet  who  versified  the  inspired  Psalms,  had 
not  changed  their  spirit  and  style  by  omitting  their  di- 
rect appeals  to  God.    Compare  the  appended  columns  : 


David's  Psalm  v. 
Verse  12. 
"  For  thou  Lord  wilt  bless  the  right- 
eous ; 
With  favor  wilt  thou  compass  him, 
as  with  a  shield." 


Episcopal  Prater  Book. 

Psalm  5.     Stanza  12. 

To  righteous  men, the  righteous  Lord 

His  blessing  will  extend, 
And  with  his  favor  all  his  saints 
As  with  a  shield  defend. 


226 


SOLEMNITY   OF   DIRECT   WORSHIP. 


We  presume  that  if  a  modern  hymnologist  should 
restore  to  this  stanza  of  Tate  and  Brady  the  original 
second  person,  he  would  be  accused  of  trespassing  on 
the  rights  of  that  venerable  company.  The  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book  has  been  censm-ed,  because  in  a  stanza 
(H.  474)  intended  mainly  for  direct  prayer  and  praise 
to  Jehovah,  the  article  "  To  the  great  One  in  three  "  has 
been  changed  into  the  pronoun  "  To  thee^  great  One  in 
Three."  K  this  change  of  one  letter  be  for  the  worse, 
it  cannot  be  much  for  the  worse ;  but  if  it  be  for  the 
better,  it  must  be  much  for  the  better.  It  transforms  an 
indirect,  into  an  immediate  and  palpable  act  of  hom- 
age. We  bring  the  Most  High  nearer  to  us,  when  we 
sing  verses  of  petition,  confession,  or  praise  to  Him, 
than  when  we  are  left  to  sing  verses  of  meditation 
about  Him,  or  about  persons  and  things  inferior  to 
Him ;  and  a  hymnologist  heightens  the  solemnity  of 
our  temple  service  when  he  elevates  a  poem  for  wor- 
ship into  a  psalm  of  worship.  An  admirable  lyric  of 
Mrs.  Steele  begins  in  many  Collections  with  the  third 
stanza  of  the  original,  which  may  be  easily  translated 
from  a  distant  history  of  Christian  experience  to  a 
present  solemn  expression  of  homage  to  the  Deity. 


Mrs.  Steele. 

Oft  in  the  temples  of  his  grace 
His  saints  behold  his  smiling  face, 
And  oft  have   seen  his  glories 
shine,  etc. 


Sabbath  Htmx  Book. 
Hymn  9. 
1 .  Oft  in  the  temples  of  thy  grace, 
Thy  saints  behold  thy  smiling  face, 
And  oft  have  seen  thy  glories 
shine,  etc. 


There  is  one  class  of  discourses  and  odes,  in  which 
a  want  of  dignity  is  the  most  fatal  of  all  faults.  Those 
compositions  which  introduce  Jehovah  as  making  an 
address,  need  to  be  guarded  with  the  most  sacred  care 


WORDS   OF  JEHOVAH.  227 

against  the  slightest  departure  from  the  majestic  dic- 
tion. They  are  the  most  critical  and  difficult  of  all 
compositions.  In  various  printed  sermons,  we  find  the 
Deity  speaking  in  low,  uncouth,  ungrammatical,  or 
otherwise  indecorous  phraseology.  In  various  hymns, 
also,  the  words  ascribed  to  him  are  far  beneath  the  im- 
posing solemnity  which  is  demanded. 

It  is  a  grave  question,  whether  a  hymn  containing  a 
lengthened  address  from  Jehovah,  di prolonged  "quota- 
tion "  from  his  real  or  imagined  remarks,  ought  ever  to 
be  sung  by  a  publie  assembly.  There  are  objections 
against  even  that  solemn  hymn  of  Watts,  B.  III.  1 : 
"'Twas  on  that  dark  and  doleful  night;"  but  these  ob- 
jections arise  from  the  historical,  narrative,  rubrical 
style  of  some  of  the  stanzas,  not  from  their  indecorum. 
But  where  is  the  propriety  of  singing  such  words  (and 
there  are  many  having  the  same  general  character),  as 
those  ascribed  to  the  "  victorious  God,"  by  Watts  in  his 
Book  III.  21,  —  words  which  Dr.  Worcester  wisely 
omitted  from  his  Christian  Psalmody,  but  felt  a  neces- 
sity of  inserting  in  "  Worcester's  Watts  and  Select : " 

"  But  while  I  bled,  and  groaned  and  dy'd, 
I  ruined  Satan's  throne  ; 
High  on  my  cross  I  hung  and  spy'd 
The  monster  tumbling  down." 

"  I  beheld  Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven." 
These  are  solemn  and  sublime  words.  But  the  at- 
tempt to  stretch  them  out,  or  press  them  down  into  a 
rhythm  and  metre  just  right  for  a  certain  tune,  has 
led  a  devout  man  to  "  alter  "  the  words  and  damage 
the  sentiment.  Is  the  critic  an  innovator,  if  he  restore 
the  Biblical  simplicity  to  these  lines  ?     Does  he  tres- 


228  TERRIFIC   EXPRESSIONS. 

pass  on  the  property  of  the  uninspired  poet,  by  bring- 
ing back  the  stanza  to  the  model  of  the  original  au- 
thor ?  Such  a  stanza,  so  far  from  its  lofty  model,  is  not 
only  an  offence  against  a  delicate  taste,  but  also  against 
the  spirit  of  reverence. 

The  solemnity  of  a  Hymn  Book  is  affected  by  its 
method  of  expressing  the  terrific  realities  of  our  faith. 
Tliere  are  certain  facts  in  the  clear  view  of  which  men 
do  not  sing.  Jacob  did  not  burst  forth  into  a  strain  of 
music,  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  many  colored  coat  of  Jo- 
seph, nor  David  when  he  first  heard  of  Absalom's  tor- 
tures in  death.  There  are  vivid  conceptions  of  mere 
woe,  at  which  every  mouth  must  be  stopped.  There 
are  methods  of  depicting  everlasting  punishment  which 
are  not  congenial  with  the  spirit  of  church-song,  and 
do  not  leave  a  solemn  impression  when  they  are  ac- 
companied with  church  music.  They  might  horrify  the 
soul,  if  they  were  set  off  by  the  instruments  and  voices 
of  an  opera,  but  they  "  petrify  the  feeling  "  when  asso- 
ciated with  the  simple  tunes  of  the  sanctuary,  —  tunes 
not  at  all  adapted  to  such  overwhelming  realities.  The 
Presbyterian  (Old  School)  Hymn  Book  substitutes  the 
''^justice  "  of  God,  or  some  other  phrase,  for  the  original 
words  which  represent  Jehovah  as  taking  "  revenge  "  on 
men.  It  even  substitutes  the  ^''followers  "  of  Christ  for 
his  '''' favorite sj"*  the  idea  of  favoritism  being  neither 
dignified  nor  solemn  enough  for  a  sanctuary  song.  Dr. 
Worcester  was  so  particular  in  avoiding  the  seemingly 
harsh  expressions  of  some  hymns,  that  he  substituted 
for  them  words  of  a  directly  opposite  signification. 
He  even  went  so  far  as  to  exchange  "  kilV  for  '-'-  give  " 
in  the  following  stanza  of  Watts : 


TERRIFIC   EXPRESSIONS.  229 

"  Great  was  the  day,  the  joy  was  great, 
When  the  divine  disciples  met  ; 
What  gifts,  what  miracles  he  gave  ! 
And  power  to  kill  and  power  to  save."  ^ 

We  are,  therefore,  not  at  all  surprised  that  Dr. 
Worcester  omitted  from  his  Christian  Psalmody  the 
45th  Hymn  of  Dr.  Watts's  First  Book,  and  the  44th 
and  52d  hymns  of  his  Second  Book;  nor  that  he 
enclosed  them  within  brackets  in  his  "  Watts  and 
Select."  But  we  are  amazed  that,  as  he  mollified  the 
temper  of  so  many  hymns,  he  did  not  also  allay  the 
severity  of  those  lines  which  portray  eternal  punish- 
ment in  colors  too  fearful  to  elicit  song.  Those  fines 
ought  to  have  been  made  either  more  biblical  or  more 
tender.  There  is  a  need  for  terrible  denunciations  of 
wrath ;  but  on  earth  music  is  silent  and  adores  when 
they  come.  There  is,  too,  a  distinction  between  the 
terrible  and  the  solemn.  In  the  former  we  are  en- 
grossed with  the  mere  appeal  to  fear.  In  the  latter  we 
are  appeased  with  the  element  of  tenderness  and  love. 
This  element  ought  to  chasten  our  hymns  on  ever- 
lasting woe.  A  model  ode,  because  a  melting  and 
subduing  one  on  this  theme,  —  the  most  critical 
theme  over  which  the  spirit  of  song  can  hover,  is  the 
foUowing : 

1.  Father !  —  if  I  may  call  thee  so, — 
I  tremble  with  my  one  desire  ; 
Lift  up  this  heavy  load  of  woe, 
Nor  let  me  in  my  sins  expire  ! 

1  Book  II.  Hymn  144.  With  an  entirely  different  meaning  Montgom- 
ery prays  for  "  killhifj,"  and  for  "  quickening  grace."  Dr.  Worcester 
changes  even  this  phrase  into  "  quickening  and  confirming  grace."  Select 
Hymn,  406.  ^^ 


230 


TERRIFIC   EXPRESSIONS. 


2.  I  tremble,  lest  the  wrath  divine, 

Which  bruises  now  my  sinful  soul, 
Should  bruise  and  break  this  soul  of  mine, 
Long  as  eternal  ages  roll. 

3.  Thy  wrath  I  fear,  thy  wrath  alone. 

This  endless  exile.  Lord,  from  thee  I 
Oh,  save !  oh,  give  me  to  thy  Son, 
Who  trembled,  wept,  and  bled  for  me  I  ^ 

But  this  is  a  modification  of  stanzas  from  an  author 
to  whom  Dr.  Watts  is  said  to  have  confessed  his  own 
inferiority.  Is  not.  the  tone  of  these  lines  far  more 
solemn  and  majestic,  than  the  tone  of  the  following, 
which  are  still  not  the  most  sharply  pointed  of  Dr. 
Watts's  comminatory  lines. 


Watts,  B.  II. 

Hymn  52. 

3 

Awake  and  mourn,  ye  heirs  of  hell, 

Let  stubborn  sinners  fear  ; 
You  must  be  driven  from  earth,  and 

dwell 
A  longer  ever  there. 


See  how  the  pit  gapes  wide  for  you. 
And  flashes  in  your  face  ; 

And  thou,  my  soul,  look  downwards 
too. 
And  sing  recovering  grace. 


Altered  in  Presbyterian  (New 
School)  Hymn  Book. 


Awake  and  mourn,  ye  heirs  of  woe  ! 

Let  stubborn  sinners  fear ; 
Why  will  ye  sink  to  flames  below, 

And  dwell  forever  there. 


See  how  the  pit  gapes  wide  for  you, 

And  flashes  in  your  face  ; 
And  thou,  my  soul,  look  downward 

too, 
•   And  sing  recov'ring  grace. 


§  14.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting'  its  Neatness. 

While   the  words  chosen  in  the  fervor  of  original 
composition,  are  apt  to  be  more  vivid  than  those  which 


1  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  1289. 


NEATNESS   OF  EXPRESSION. 


231 


the  critic  substitutes  for  them  ;  yet,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  liveliness  of  a  hymn  is  often  gained  at  the  expense 
of  its  neatness.  There  are  graces  of  style,  there  are 
delicate  niceties  of  structure,  which  are  overlooked  in 
the  onward  march  of  the  first  composition.  They  may 
be  supplied  in  the  critical  review.  Often  the  neatness 
of  a  hymn  may  be  promoted  by  even  a  literal  change 
in  its  phraseology.  Why  need  the  most  punctilious 
opponent  of  alterations  in  the  text,  forbid  our  singing : 
"  And  bends  his  footsteps  downward  too,"  "  Our  soar- 
ing spirits  upward  rise,"  "  Upward^  Lord,  our  spirits 
raise,"  instead  of  "  upwards  "  and  "  downwards^^  as  in 
the  original  ?  What  harm  to  the  rights  of  authorship 
will  come  from  our  singing :  "  Wonder  and  joy  shall 
tune  my  heart,"  instead  of  the  original,  ^^joys"  It  is 
certainly  neater  to  say : 

"  In  thee  I  shall  conquer  by  flood  and  by  field, 
Jehovah  my  anchor^  Jehovah  my  shield;*' — Sab.  H.  B.  1006 ; 

than  to  mingle  the  incongruous  metaphors  : 

"  In  thee  I  shall  conquer  by  flood  and  by  field, 
My  cable,  my  anchor,  iKy  breast-plate,  my  shield." 

Sometimes  the  want  of  chasteness  in  the  style  of  a 
hymn,  calls  away  the  attention  from  its  religious  aim ; 
and  the  mind  is  repelled,  by  disagreeable  associations, 
into  a  train  of  thought  uncongenial  with  worship.  The 
following  instances  will  suggest  others  of  a  still  more 
objectionable  character. 


Original  Form. 

And  on  the  eye-halls  of  the  blind 
To  pour  celestial  day. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  274. 
And,  on  the  eyes  long  closed  in  night, 
To  pour  celestial  day. 


232 


NEATNESS    OF   EXPRESSION. 


Original  Form. 


His  heart  is  made  of  tenderness, 
His  bowels  melt  with  love. 

Oh,  let  thy  bowels  answer  me. 


My  bowels  yearn  o'er  dying  men. 
And  dances  his  glad  heart  for  joy. 


A  moment  give  a  loose  to  grief  : 
Let  grateful  sorrows  rise  ; 

And  wash  the  bloody  stains  away 
With  torrents  from  your  eyes. 


Then  will  the  angels  clap  their  wings 
And  bear  the  news  above. 


I  lay  my  soul  beneath  thy  love  : 
Beneath  the  droppings  of  thy  blood, 
Jesus^  nor  shall  it  e'er  remove. 


My  God,  my  God !  on  thee  I  call ; 

Thee  only  would  I  know  ; 
One  drop  of  blood  on  me  let  fall, 

And  wash  me  white  as  snow. 

H.  K.  White's  Hymn  on  the  Resurrec- 
tion. 
And  the  long-silent  dust  shall  burst 
With  shouts  of  endless  praise. 


Wliy  should  we  tremble  to  convey 

Their  bodies  to  the  tomb  ? 
There  the  dear  flesh  of  Jesus  lay. 
And  left  a  long  petfume. 


And  there's  no  weeping  there. 
To  sjiatch  me  from  eternal  death. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hymn  424. 
His  heart  is  made  of  tenderness,  — 
It  melts  with  pitying  love. 

Oh,  let  thy  mercy  answer  me. 

Hymn  547. 
My  spirit  yearns  o'er  dying  men. 

Hymn  318. 
And  bounds  his  gladdened  heart  with 
joy- 
Hymn  359. 
A  moment  noio  indulge  your  grief : 

Let  grateful  sorrows  rise  ; 
And  wash  the  crimson  stains  away, 
With  torrents  from  your  eyes. 

Hymn  516. 
Then  vnW  the  angels  sunftly  fly 
To  bear  the  news  above. 

Hymn  566. 
I  lay  my  soul  beneath  thy  love  : 
Oh,  cleanse  me  with  atoning  blood. 
Nor  let  me  from  thy  feet  remove. 

Hymn  705. 
My  God,  my  God  !  to  thee  I  cry  ; 

Thee  only  would  I  know : 
Thy  purifying  blood  apply, 
>  And  wash  me  white  as  snow. 

Hymn  1276  (see,  also,  Conn.  Hymn 

Book,  H.  393). 
And  the  long-silent  voice  awake, 
With  shouts  of  endless  praise. 

Hymn  1210. 
Why  should  we  tremble  to  convey 

Their  bodies  to  the  tomb  'i 
There  the  dear  flesh  of  Jesus  lay, 

There  hopes  unfading  bloom. 

Hymn  286. 
And  weeping  is  not  there. 

Hymn  725. 
To  save  me  from  eternal  death. 


NEATNESS   OF  EXPRESSION. 


233 


Original  Form. 
And  thy  rebellious  worm  is  still. 

Behold  the  gaping  tomb. 

In  the  dear  bosom  of  his  love. 


Those  wandering  cisterns  [clouds]  in 
the  sky. 

Borne  by  the  winds  around, 
With  wafry  treasures  well  supply 

The  furrows  of  the  ground. 

The  thirsty  ridges  drink  their  Jill, 
And  ranks  of  corn  appear ; 

Thy  ways  abound  with  blessings  still, 
Thy  goodness  crowns  the  year. 

Come,  ye  sinners,  poor  and  wretched, 
Weak  and  wounded,  sick  and  sore. 


May  purge  our  souls  from  sense  and 
sin. 

Compelled  by  bleeding  love, 

Ye  wandering  sheep,  draw  near ; 

Christ  calls  you  from  above, 
His  charming  accents  hear. 

Let  whosoever  will  now  come. 

In  mercy^s  breast  there  still  is  room. 

And  though  his  arm  be  strong  to  smite, 
'Tis  also  strong  to  save. 


"Wait  thou  his  time ;  so  shall  this  night 
Soon  end  in  joyous  day. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  780. 
And  thy  rebellious  child  is  still. 

Hymn  1180. 
Behold  the  opening  tomb. 

Hymn  882. 
Safe  in  the  bosom  of  his  love. 


Hymn  1150. 
TTiy  showers  the  thirsty  furrows  fill ; 

And  ranks  of  corn  appear  ; 
Thy  wavs   abound  with    blessings 
still  — 
Thy  goodness  crowns  the  year. 


Hymn  518.    (2  Cor.  6:2.) 
Come,  ye  sinners,  poor  and  wretched. 
This  is  your  accepted  hour  : 

Hymn  1002. 
May  purify  our  souls  from  sin. 

Hymn  524. 
Drawn  by  his  bleeding  love. 

Ye  wand'ring  sheep,  draw  near; 
Christ  calls  you  from  above ; 

The  Shepherds  voice  now  hear. 
Let  whosoever  will  now  come  ; 
In  Jesus^  arms  there  still  is  room. 

Hymn  585. 
His  arm,  though  it  be  strong  to  smite, 
Is  also  strong  to  save. 

Hymn  676. 
"Wait  thou  his  time ;  the  darkest  night 
Shall  end  in  brightest  day. 


It  is  often  objected  that  we  make  a  hymn  feeble  by 

making  it  neat.      The  attempt  to  prune  it  of  its  rank 

growth,  results  in  destroying  its  masculine  vigor.     But 

a  song  may  be  energetic,  and  yet  chaste  in  its  diction. 

20* 


234 


VIGOROUS  PHRASES. 


Indeed,  an  immodest  or  extravagant  air  is  often  fatal 
to  the  manly  robustness  of  a  sacred  lyric.  The  strength 
of  it  is  impaired,  when  it  contains  any  word  which  dis- 
sipates the  thoughts  of  the  singer  by  awakening  a  sus- 
picion of  excess  or  wildness  in  the  poet.  There  is  a 
degree  of  soberness  which  is  the  hiding  of  the  Christian 
lyrist's  power.  The  line  of  Mrs.  Steele,  "  Tremendous 
judgments  from  thy  hand,"  is  not  so  forcible  as  the 
altered  line,  '•^ Dark  frowning  judgments  from  thy  hand  " 
(Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  H.  1118).  It  is  very  true  that 
some  of  the  alterations  made  for  the  beauty  of  a  hymn 
may  interfere  with  its  energy.  Some  of  them  may 
mitigate  the  force  of  a  single  line,  by  toning  down  its 
boisterous  spirit,  while  the  power  of  the  entire  hymn 
is  heightened,  by  giving  a  more  considerate  meaning 
to  its  violent  words.  Some  of  the  changes  in  the  Pres- 
byterian Old  School  Collection  are  tamer  than  they 
need  be ;  still  they  augment  the  general  impressiveness 
of  the  lyrics  which  contain  them  ;  thus 


Original  Form. 
Watts,  &th  Psalm. 
In  anger,  Lord,  rebuke  me  not, 

Withdraw  the  dreadful  storm. 
Nor  let  thy  fury  grow  so  hot 
Against  a  feeble  worm. 

Watts,  9th  Psalm,  also  99<A. 
And  make  his  vengeance  known. 

Watts,  nth  Hymn. 
On  impious  wretches  he  shall  rain 
Tempests    of  brimstone^  fire    and 
death. 


Presbyterian  O.  S.  Hymn  Book. 

In  anger,  Lord,  do  not  chastise. 
Withdraw  the  dreadful  storm. 

Nor  let  thine  awful  wrath  arise 
Against  a  feeble  worm. 


And  make  his  justice  known. 


On  impious  wretches  he  will  rain, 
Sulphureous  Jiames  of  wasting  death. 


§  15.  Qianges  in  the  Text,  as  Affecting  its  Vigor, 

The  great  evil  in  the  alteration  of  hymns,  consists  in 
its  lessening  their  energy.     It  is  better  that  they  be 


VIGOROUS  PHRASES. 


235 


forceful  and  rough,  than  "  coldly  correct  and  critically 
dull."  Nothing  but  a  taste  well  cultivated,  can  deter- 
mine when  to  leave  an  extravagant  phrase  in  its  pris- 
tine wildness,  and  when  to  chasten  it.  But  we  err,  if 
we  suppose  that  all  the  changes  in  a  hymn  are  designed 
to  augment  its  refinement  and  delicacy.  Some  of 
them  are  intended  to  invigorate  its  more  languid 
phrases.  When  we  are  singing  of  God^  we  form  a 
weaker  conception  of  his  omniscience,  if  we  say,  with 
Watts,  that  he  "  often  "  looks  down  upon  our  dust,  than 
if  we  say,  as  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  H.  1274, 

God,  my  Redeemer,  lives. 

And  ever  from  the  skies 
Looks  down  and  watches  all  my  dust, 

Till  he  shall  bid  it  rise. 

Injudicious  criticisms  are  often  made  on  an  altera- 
tion of  lyrical  phrases,  because  it  suggests  no  one  prom- 
inent reason  in  its  favor.  But  in  fact  there  may  be 
several  different  reasons  combined  in  its  behalf;  as  in 
the  following  instances,  where  vigor  is  one  of  the  attri- 
butes gained  in  the  change : 


Original  Form. 

The  joy  and  labor  of  their  tongue. 

0  mem'ry !  leave  no  other  name 
.         [than  Christ's], 
So  deeply  graven  there. 

Our  cautioned  souls  prepare. 
Jesus  1  in  that  ivipoi'tant  hour. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  824. 
The  joy  and  triumph  of  their  tongue. 

Hymn  1056. 
O  mem'ry !  leave  no  other  name 
But  his  recorded  there. 

Hymn  1279. 
Our  anxious  souls  prepare. 

Hymn  704. 
Jesus !  in  that  momentous  hoar. 


236 


VIGOROUS  PHRASES. 


Original  Toem. 
To  Jesus,  our  superior  King. 
Atoned  for  sins  which  we  had  done. 

And  hence  our  hopes  arise. 
Creatures  as  numerous  as  they  be. 


I  urge  no  merits  of  my  own, 
For  I,  alas  I  am  all  that 's  vile. 


Come,  humble  sinner. 

His  the  Jight,  the  arduous  toil. 
Grant  that  we,  too,  may  go. 


No  cloud  those  blissful  regions  know, 
Forever  bright  and  fair. 


No  chilling  winds  or  poisonous 
breath, 
Can  reach  that  healthful  shore. 


Let  the  whole  earth  his  power  confess 
Let  the  whole  earth  adore  his  grace ; 
The  Gentile  with  the  Jew  shall  join 
In  work  and  worship  so  divine. 


Stronger  his  love  than  death  and  hell. 
Its  riches  are  unspeakable  ; 

The  first-born  sons  of  light 
Desire  in  vain  its  depths  to  see  ; 
They  cannot  reach  the  mystery, 
And  length,  and  breadth,  and 
height. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  325. 
To  Jesus,  our  eternal  King. 

Hymn  310. 
Atoned  for  crimes  which  we  had 
done. 

Eymn  308. 
Hence  all  our  hopes  arise. 

Hymn  118. 
Creatures  that  borrow  life  from  thee. 

Hymn  723. 
I  urge  no  merits  of  my  own. 

No  worth  to  claim  thy  gracious  smile. 

Hymn  558. 
Come,  trembling  sinner. 

Hymn  380. 
His  the  battle,  his  the  toil. 

Hymn  366. 
Oh,  grant  that  we  may  go. 

Hymn  1236. 
No  cloud  those  blissful  regions 
know  — 
Realms  ever  bright  and  fan:. 

Hymn  1234. 
No  chilling  winds,  no  poisonous 
breath, 
Can  reach  that  healthful  shore. 

Hymn  159. 
Let  every  land  his  power  confess ; 
Let  all  the  earth  adore  his  grace ; 
My  heart  and  tongue  with  rapture  join, 
In  work  and  worship  so  divine. 

Hymn  703. 
Stronger  his  love  than  death  or  heU : 

iVo  mortal  can  its  riches  tell. 
Nor  first-born  sons  of  light : 

In  vain  they  long  its  depths  to  see ; 

They  cannot  reach  the  mystery  — 
The  length,  the  breadth,  the  height. 


POETICAL  PHRASES.  237 


§  16.  Alterations  in  the  Text,  as  Affecting'  its  Poetical 
and  Lyrical  Character. 

Then  seek  the  Lord  betimes,  and  choose 

The  ways  of  heavenly  truth  ; 
The  earth  affords  no  loveher  sight 

Than  a  religiovs  youth. 

This  fourth  line  suggests  a  wholesome  thought,  but  is 
not  a  lyrical  ending  of  a  hymn.  Yet  the  excellent  Dr. 
Thomas  Gibbons  has  admitted  it  as  the  close  of  a 
church  lyric.  The  final  verse  of  a  hymn  should  often 
condense  into  itself  the  whole  spirit  of  the  preceding 
verses ;  and,  like  the  rudder  of  a  ship,  control  all  that 
goes  before  it. 

"  His  love  hath  animating  power." 

This  is  a  didactic  peroration  of  an  affecting  ode  by 
Doddridge.  It  is  a  judicious  verse,  but  is  not  poetry. 
The  hymn  will  close  with  a  line  more  in  sympathy 
with  all  that  precedes  it,  if  it  be  modified  in  one  of  the 
following  methods : 

"  His  work  my  hoary  head  shall  bless, 
When  youthful  vigor  is  no  more, 
And  my  last  hour  of  life  confess 

His  dying  love's  constraining  power.** 

(Connecticut,  and  Plymouth,  Collections)  ;  or, 

"IZts  saving  love,  his  glorious  power." 

(Church  Psalmody)  ;  or 

".His  dying  love,  his  saving  power." 

(Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  83  2. J 


238 


LYRICAL    PHRASES. 


Let  the  sweet  hope  that  thou  art  mine, 

My  life  and  death  attend ; 
Thy  presence  through  my  journey  shine, 

And  crown  my  journey's  end. 

(Sabbath  Hymn  Booh,  Hymn  926  .J 

This  is  the  closing  line  of  a  hymn  by  Mrs.  Steele.  It 
is  like  the  final  tone  of  an  anthem.  It  appears  in  all 
our  choicest  hymn  books.  But  it  is  not  the  line  with 
which  her  exquisite  hymn  closed  at  first.  Her  con- 
cluding words  were  less  crowning : 

^^And  bless  its  happy  end.** 

A  lyric  is  that  kind  of  poetry  which  prompts  us  to 
sing.  We  are  not  incited  to  utter  in  musical  cadence, 
phrases  merely  instructive  ;  turns  of  economical  or  phi- 
losophical discourse.  It  is  more  in  harmony  with  the 
very  nature  of  a  lyric  to  exclaim :  "  In  the  cold  prison 
of  the  tomb,  The  great  Redeemer  lay,"  than  "  The  dead 
Redeemer  lay  "  (we  need  not  hear  that  he  was  deceased, 
if  he  was  entombed) ;  to  sing :  "  When  in  want,  or  when 
in  wealth,^  than  "  Wliether  then  in  want  or  wealth ; "  to 
cry  out :  "  Nor  could  the  bowers  of  Eden  give,"  than 
"  Nor  could  untainted  Eden  give."  All  feeble,  stale, 
hackneyed  phrases,  like  Watts's  "  Yet  I  would  not  be 
much  concerned,"  "  Nor  milk  nor  honey  taste  so  well," 
may  be  exchanged  for  lines  better  adapted  to  awaken 
the  spirit  of  song.  The  following  are  specimens  of 
numerous  alterations  made  in  one  standard  Hymn 
Book,  on  purely  lyrical  grounds : 


Original  Form. 

Watts,  105fA  Psalm. 
A  little,  feeble  band. 

Watts,  105th  Psalm. 
Each  some  Egyptian  spoils  had  got. 


Presbyterian  O.  S.  Collection. 

A  small  and  feeble  band. 

Rich  with  Egyptian  spoils  they  fled. 


LYRICAL    PHRASES. 


239 


Original  Form. 

Watts,  107th  Psalm. 
'Tioas  the  right  path  to  Canaan's 
ground. 

Watts,  107th  Psalm. 
Who  trade  in  floating  ships. 

Watts,  lUth  Psalm. 
While  envious  sinners /ref  in  vain. 

Watts,  nsth  Psalm. 
And  makes  them  company  fl^r  kings. 

Watts,  132d  Psalm. 
Not  Aaron  in  his  costly  dress, 
Made  an  appearance  so  divine. 

Watts,  132of  Psalm. 
But  we  have  no  such  lengths  to  go, 

Nor  wander  far  abroad  ; 
Where'er  thy  saints  assemble  now, 

There  is  a  house  for  God. 

Watts,   \AUh  Psalm. 
Happy  the  country  where  the  sheep. 
Cattle,  and  corn,  have  large  increase. 
Where  men  securely  work  or  sleep, 

etc. 

Watts,  IZUh  Psalm. 
Their  gods  have  tongues  that  cannot 
talk,  etc. 


Presbyterian  0.  S.  Collection. 

And  brought  their  tribes  to  Canaan's 
ground. 

Who  tempt  the  dangerous  way. 

While  envious  sinners  rage  in  vain. 

And  seats  them  on  the  thrones  q/" kings. 

Not  Aaron  in  his  costly  dress, 
Appears  so  glorious,  so  divine. 

We  trace  no  more  those  devious  ways, 

Nor  wander  far  abroad  ; 
Whei'e^er  thy  people  meet  for  praise, 

There  is  a  house  for  God. 


Happy  the  land  in  culture  drest, 
Whose  flocks  and  corn  have  large  in- 
crease, 
Where  men  securely  work  or  rest,  etc. 

Their  gods  have  tongues  that  speech- 
less pi'ove,  etc. 


Dr.  Watts,  in  more  than  one  hymn,  speaks  of  "  wild 
world ;"  more  vivid  than  "  wide  world,"  to  which  Dr. 
Worcester  changes  it,  Bk.  ii.  73  and  138.  Dr.  Watts 
writes  :  "  We  shout  with  joyful  tongues ; "  more  ani- 
mating than  "  cheerful  tongues,"  as  written  by  Dr.  Wor- 
cester, Bk.  ii.  42.  "  And  unbelief  the  spear,"  is  the  line 
of  Watts ;  made  less  lively  by  Worcester  :  "  And  un- 
belief a  spear,"  Bk.  ii.  95.  Cowper  writes :  "  And  if  her 
faith  was  firm  and  strong,  Had  strong-  misgivings  too  ; " 
which,  feeble  at  best,  is  still  feebler  in  Worcester's 
Watts  :  "Had  sofne  misgivings  too."  (Select  Hymn, 
76.)     Dr.  Watts  writes  :  "  As  potter's  earthen  work  is 


240  PHILOSOPHICAL   PHRASES. 

broke  ; "  "Worcester  does  not  mend  this  line  by  saying  : 
"  As  potter's  earthea  ware  is  broke,"  Ps.  ii.  The  fol- 
lowing alteration  is  not  disrespectful  to  the  Olney 
Hymns : 

John  NevotmCs  original.  I  Connecticut  and  Plymouth  Collections. 

He  himself  has  bid  thee  pray,  He  himself  invites  thee  near  — 

Therefore  will  not  say  thee  nay.  j  Bids  thee  ask  him  —  waits  to  hear. 

The  spirit  of  song  often  disdains  the  trammels  of  a 
precise  philosophy.  It  flies  aloft,  and  leaves  the  rules 
of  logic  in  the  low  ground  of  unimpassioned  thought. 
The  naked  statement  of  a  truth  is  sometimes  poetical ; 
but  at  other  times  the  truth  must  be  intimated  in  met- 
aphors, or  veiled  in  some  attractive  drapery.  When  the 
rationalists  of  the  last  age  gained  possession  of  the 
German  pulpit,  they  found  that  the  poet  had  written 
in  their  hymn  book,  concerning  the  midnight  hour: 
"  Now  all  the  world  is  locked  in  sleep."  But  this  is 
not  philosophical.  The  earth  is  round ;  therefore  the 
rationalists  merged  the  poet's  hyperbole  into  the  more 
undeniable  theorem  :  "  NowAaZ/'the  world  is  locked  in 
sleep."  The  Presbyterian  (Old  School)  Collection  of 
hymns  has  stumbled  at  the  simple  line  of  Watts,  con- 
cerning that  sound  which  "  Bid  the  new-made  heavens 
go  round."  This  line  is  not  true.  It  falsifies  the  Co- 
pernican  system.  The  "  heavens "  do  not  go  round. 
Hence  that  Collection  has  reduced  the  poetry  of  the 
line  to  accurate  astronomy,  thus  :  "  That  bid  the  new- 
made  world  go  round." 

On  the  same  principle,  the  Hymn  of  Watts  :  "  Once 
more,  my  soul,  the  rising  day,"  is  changed  from  an  ex- 
pression of  lively  praise, "  To  Him  that  rolls  the  skies," 
into  the   more   philosophical  dictum :    "  To   Him   that 


PHILOSOPHICAL  PHRASES.  241 

rules  the  skies."  In  another  instance,  however,  a  scien- 
tific line  is  metamorphosed  by  the  same  Presbyterian 
Collection  into  the  freer  poetical  form  ;  the  poet  wrote  : 
"  How  most  exact  is  nature's  frame  ; "  the  critic  has 
preferred  to  write:  "  How /air  and  beauteous  nature's 
frame."  The  65th  Psalm  of  Watts  affirms  that  sailors 
are  especially  affrighted 

"  When  tempests  rage,  and  billows  roar, 
At  dreadful  distance  from  the  shore.'* 

It  has  been  objected,  that  the  further  off  from  the  shore 
the  sailors  are  in  a  tempest,  so  much  the  safer  are  they. 
But,  however  this  may  be  in  prose,  it  is  not  so  in 
poetry.  A  favorite  hymn  asserts :  "  Fire  ascending 
seeks  the  sun."  This  is  not  the  fact  in  midnight  prose ; 
but  shall  we  therefore  qualify  the  poetic  assertion  ? 

If  a  hymn  leaves  a  decidedly  erroneous  impression, 
and  is  adapted  to  deprave  the  moral  sentiment  by  its 
false  doctrine,  it  should  be  either  omitted  or  amended. 
Truth  is  more  essential  than  poetry.  An  injurious  in- 
fluence is  worse  than  a  prosaic  expression.  If,  how- 
ever, the  hymn  does  not  inculcate  an  unsound  doctrine 
by  its  unscientific  style;  if  it  merely  employ  a  less 
technical,  or  more  indirect,  or  ambiguous  phrase,  than 
is  demanded  by  a  precise  theology,  the  uses  of  the 
hymn  require  that  the  old  form  be  retained  for  the 
explanation  of  a  didactic  hour,  rather  than  that  the 
flow  of  song  be  checked  by  a  rigid  analytic  emenda- 
tion. We  query  whether  the  Presbyterian  Old  School 
Manual  (Hymn  549,)  has  at  all  heightened  the  moral 
excellence  of  Mrs.  Steele's  stanza,  by   translating  the 

affectionate  words  : 

21 


242  HYPOTHETICAL   CLAUSES. 

"  'Tis  thine,  Almighfy  Saviour^  thine, 
To  form  the  heart  anew," 

into  the  more  accurate  language  :  "  'T  is  thine,  Eternal 
Spirit,  thine,"  etc.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Connecticut 
Hymn  Book,  Hymn  86,  has  made  a  more  healthful  im- 
pression by  describing  the  divine  goodness  as  "  tuiceas- 
ing-"  than  was  made  by  Doddridge,  who  represents  it 
as  "  redundantP 

While  all  poetry  shrinks  from  the  cold  argumenta- 
tive methods  of  science,  lyrical  poetry  urges  a  peculiar 
demand  for  the  lively,  impassioned,  stirring  diction. 
In  the  present  state  of  hymnology,  we  cannot  look  for 
a  strict  adherence  to  the  rules ;  still,  the  rules  are 
admirable  which  are  thus  laid  down  in  the  Preface  to 
the  Church  Psalmody  (p.  vi.) : 

"  Sentences  and  clauses  should  contain,  as  far  as  is  practicable 
^thout  occasioning  a  stiff  and  tedious  uniformity,  complete  sense  in 
themselves.  A  succession  of  clauses  bound  together  by  weak  con- 
nectives, exhausts  the  performer,  bj  allowing  no  opportunity  for 
pausing ;  while,  by  multiplying  unmeaning  words,  and  keeping  the 
mind  too  long  on  the  same  course,  it  also  wearies  the  hearer.  It 
contributes  greatly  to  the  spirit  and  force  of  the  hymn,  as  well  as  to 
the  ease  of  the  performer,  to  throw  off  rapidly,  in  a  concise  form,  one 
thought  after  another,  each  complete  in  itself,  and  with  each  begin- 
ning a  new  rhetorical  clause. 

The  structure  of  each  stanza  should  be  such  that  the  mind  shall 
perceive  the  meaning  immediatdy.  All  hypothetical  clauses,  placed  at 
the  beginning,  or  other  clauses  containing  positions  or  arguments 
having  reference  to  some  conclusion  which  is  to  follow,  are  to  be 
avoided-  They  contain  no  meaning  in  themselves,  and  bring  nothing 
before  the  mind  expressive  or  productive  of  feeling,  till  the  per- 
former reaches  the  important  words  at  the  close  of  perhaps  the 
second  or  fourth  line.  The  only  method  of  wading  through  such 
lines,  set  to  music,  is  for  the  performer  to  suspend  all  thought  and 


LONG    SENTENCES.  243 

feeling,  and  struggle  hard  and  patientlv.  till  he  shall  come  to  the  light. 
The  first  word  should,  if  possible,  express  something  in  itself,  and 
every  -word  should  add  to  it.  But,  from  a  spirited  clause  at  the 
beginning,  the  mind  mav  derive  an  impulse  which  shall  carry  it 
through  a  hea^y  one  that  may  follow.  Clauses,  however,  which 
follow  the  main  one,  to  quality  it,  connected  by  a  relative,  are 
always  heavy  and  injurious." 

In  all  our  hymn  books  we  can  discover  many  tIoIcl- 
Tions  of  this  rule.  Prof.  B.  B.  Edwards  has  cited  the 
following  violarion  in  a  manual,  which  is  remarkably 
free  from  this  species  of  fault.^ 

"  The  loth  Psalm,  2d  part  of  the  Church  Psalmody, 
furnishes  a  specimen  of  the  complex  [structure  of 
hymns].  In  the  second  stanza  begins  a  protasis,  and 
the  fifth  stanza  contains  the  apodosis.  Thus  the 
second  stanza  introduces  the  condition  : 

The  man  who  walks  in  pious  ways, 

And  works  with  righteous  hands ; 
TMio  trusts  his  Maker's  promises. 

And  foUows  his  commands  : 

The  third  and  foitrth  stanzas  continue  in  the  same 
stjde,  and  the  last  two  hues  of  the  fifth  introduce  the 
consequence: 

BQs  [whose]  hands  disdain  a  golden  bribe, 

And  never  wrong  the  poor :  — 
Tills  man  shall  du-ell  with  God  on  cai-thy 

Aiidjind  his  heavtn  stcuri.'' 

One  of  the  most  radical  emendations  of  a  church 
song  is  that  made  by  Logan  on  a  hymn  of  Doddridge, 

*  Writings  of  Prof.  B.  B.  Edwards,  with  a  Memoir,  pp.  143,  U4. 


244 


DODDRIDGE    AND    LOGAN. 


and  subsequently  modified  by  an  English  hymnolo- 
gistJ  The  main  superiority  of  the  amended  over  the 
original  hymn,  is  the  quicker  and  more  direct  expres- 
sion of  its  thought,  the  avoidance  of  the  far-separated 
protasis  and  apodosis,  and  also  of  the  apparently  con- 
ditional homage. 


Original  Form. 

O  God  of  Jacob,  hy  wliose  hand 

Thine  Israel  still  is  fed, 
Who  thro'  this  weary  pilf^rimagc 

llast  all  our  fathers  led. 

To  tliee  our  luiml)lc  vows  wc  raise, 
To  thee  address  our  prayer, 

Atid  in  thy  kind  and  faithful  breast 
Deposit  all  our  care. 

If  thou,  thro'  each  perplexing  path, 
Wilt  bo  our  constant  ^uidc ; 

If  thou  wilt  daily  bread  supply. 
And  raiment  wilt  provide ; 

If  thou  wilt  spread  thy  shield  around, 
Till  these  our  wand'i-ings  cease. 

And  at  oui-  Father's  lov'd  abode. 
Our  souls  arrive  in  j)eacc  : 

To  Thee,  as  to  our  Cov'nant  God, 
We  '11  our  whole  selves  resign  : 

And  count  that  not  one  tenth  alone, 
But  all  wo  have  is  thine. 


Amended  Form. 

O  God  of  Bethel !  by  whose  hand 

Thy  j)eo])le  still  are  fed  ; 
Who  through  this  weary  pilgrimage 

Hast  all  our  fathers  led  ;  — 

Our  vows,  our  prayers,  we  now  pre- 
sent 

Before  thy  throne  of  grace; 
God  of  our  fathers  !  be  the  God 

Of  their  succeeding  race. 

Through  each  perplexing  path  of  life 
Our  wandering  footstei)s  guide  ; 

Give  us,  each  day,  our  daily  bread. 
And  raiment  lit  provide. 

Oh,  spread  thy  covering  wings 
around. 

Till  all  our  wanderings  cease, 
And  at  our  Father's  loved  abode. 

Our  souls  arrive  in  peace. 

Such  blessings  from  thy  gracious 
hand 

Our  humble  prayers  implore  ; 
And  thou  shalt  be  our  chosen  God, 

Our  portion  evermore. 


§  17.    The  Adaptation  of  a  Hymn  to  the  State  of  Mind 
in  Public  Worship, 

We  are  living,  we  are  dwelling, 

In  a  grand  and  awful  time, 
In  an  age  on  ages  telling, 

To  be  living  is  sublime. 


1  Logan's  modified  emendation  is  found  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book 
H.  216,  and  in  nearly  all  the  recent  manuals. 


GIDDINESS   IN   HYMNS.  245 

Hark  !  the  waking  up  of  nations, 

Gog  and  Magog  to  the  fray. 
Hark  !  what  soundeth  V  is  creation 

Groaning  for  its  latter  day  ? 

Will  ye  play,  then,  will  ye  dally, 

With  your  music  and  your  wine  ? 
Up  !  it  is  Jehovah's  rally  ! 

God's  own  arm  hath  need  of  thine. 
Hark  !  the  onset !  will  ye  fold  your 

Faith-clad  arms  in  lazy  lock  ? 
Up,  O  up,  thou  drowsy  soldier; 

Worlds  are  charging  to  the  shock. 


Worlds  are  charging  —  heaven  beholding; 

Thou  hast  but  an  hour  to  fight ; 
Now  the  blazoned  cross  unfolding. 

On  —  rl<:ht  onward,  for  the  right. 
Oh  !  let  all  the  soul  within  you 

For  the  truth's  sake  go  abroad  I 
Strike  !  k>t  every  nerve  and  sinew 

Tell  on  ajres  —  tell  for  God ! 


This  lyric,  found  in  one  of  our  church  hymn  books, 
is  an  excellent  illustration  of  certain  principles,  easily 
misunderstood.  A  song  may  be  vivid,  vigorous,  highly 
poetical,  and  still  not  church-like  in  its  tone.  The  state- 
ments already  made  in  the  12th,  15th,  and  16th  sections, 
may  be  misapprehended  as  favoring  that  kind  of  giddi- 
ness which  we  often  find  in  an  Independence  ode,  but 
which  we  never  ought  to  find  in  a  sanctuary  hymn. 
As  men  of  exclusively  literary  tastes  are  prone  to  sigh 
for  the  standard  old  text,  so  men  of  exclusively  poet- 
ical aspirations  are  prompted  to  cry  for  verses  that  are 
soul-stirring,  that  "  sound  like  a  trumpet."  The  flow- 
21* 


246  KANKNESS   OF  EXPRESSION. 

ers  of  rhetoric  cannot  grow  too  luxuriantly  and  rankly 
for  these  children  of  the  imagination.  They  insist 
upon  retaining  all  such  lines  as  "  Now  resplendent 
shine  his  [Christ's]  nail-prints ^^^  "  A  hottle  for  my  tears," 
"  My  prayers  are  now  a  chattering-  noise,"  "  And  fling 
his  wrath  abroad,"  "  Then  wiU  the  angels  clap  their 
wings,"  "  And  claps  his  wings  of  fire,"  "  Behold  what 
cursed  snares,"  "  Dress  thee  in  arms,  most  mighty 
Lord,"  "  How  terrible  is  God  in  arms"  "  Wind,  hail, 
and  flashing  fire,"  "  And  pours  the  rattling  hail."  Such 
lines  are  good  because  they  are  rousing,  it  is  said. 
Many  of  them  may  be  sung  with  an  accompaniment 
of  drum  and  fife. 

But  a  just  and  refined  taste  is  needed  for  distin- 
guishing between  the  appropriate  brilliancy  or  strength 
of  a  church  song,  and  that  of  a  martial  or  even  a 
temperance  ode.  A  delicate  Christian  sentiment  in 
regard  to  hymns,  is  like  common  sense  in  regard  to  the 
affairs  of  daily  life ;  it  knows  how,  where,  and  when,  to 
make  an  exception  to  a  rule.  Vivid  images,  glowing 
metaphors,  breathing  words,  do  give  immortality  to  a 
song  of  praise.  Critics,  however,  mistake  the  nature 
of  a  hymn  book,  when  they  ti'eat  it  as  a  bouquet  of 
bright  flowers,  or  a  coronet  of  glistening  jewels.  That 
is  not  always  the  best  church  song,  which  sparkles 
most  with  rhetorical  gems.  There  are  spangled  hymns, 
which  will  never  excite  devotional  feeling.  The  state 
of  a  congregation  during  the  worship  of  God,  is  pecul- 
iar. The  rich  and  the  poor,  the  learned  and  the  igno- 
rant, the  strong-minded  and  the  superannuated,  are 
uniting  in  a  solemn  address  to  Jehovah.  When  the 
conceptions  of  the  song  are  too  brilliant,  when  its  rhet- 
oric is  too  gorgeous,  when  its  allusions  are  too  brisk 


RANKNESS   OF  EXPRESSION.  247 

and  lively,  there  are  untutored  minds  which  cannot 
comprehend  them,  and  there  are  cultivated  minds  which 
will  sympathize  with  the  unlettered,  and  demand  a  sim- 
pler mode  of  speech.  Alleviating  the  line  of  Watts, 
who  says  that  God  '•'•  pushed''''  the  wheels  of  the  universe 
"  into  motion  first,"  Dr.  Worcester  wrote  "  put  them  into 
motion  first,"  Bk.  ii.  13.  Many  young  men  will  prefer 
"  pushing  "  to  "  putting ; "  not  so  with  the  old,  however. 
Frequently  a  hymn  is  a  prayer ;  and  it  is  a  rule  for  the 
structure  of  prayers,  that  they  exclude  all  those  recon- 
dite figures,  dazzling  comparisons,  flashing  metaphors, 
which,  while  grateful  to  certain  minds  of  poetic  excita- 
bility, are  offensive  to  more  sober  and  staid  natures, 
and  are  not  congenial  with  the  lowly  spirit  of  a  sup- 
pliant at  the  throne  of  grace.  All  individualities  of 
expression,  all  idiosyncracies  in  which  few  worshippers 
will  feel  a  sympathetic  interest,  and  from  which  the 
majority  will  turn  away  with  disgust  or  mere  indiffer- 
ence, are  infelicitous  parts  of  a  church  song.  A  simile 
may  be  shining,  but  it  may  not  be  exactly  chaste  ;  and 
a  hymn  prefers  pure  beauty  to  bedizening  ornament. 
In  his  one  hundred  and  forty-eighth  Psalm*  Dr.  Watts 
has  written  : 


Ye  creeping  ants  and  worms, 
His  various  wisdom  show ; 

And  flies,  in  all  your  shining  forms, 
Praise  him  that  drest  you  so. 


All  such  lines  may  be  called  lively^  but  they  are  too 
buzzing  for  a  hymn  of  worship.  It  were  better  to  retain 
Mrs.  Steele's  long  word :  "  Their  bright  inimitable  dyes," 
than   to  introduce   Dr.  Worcester's  more  picturesque 


248  KANKNESS    OF   EXPRESSION. 

alteration :  "  The  smallest  worms,  the  meanest  flies," 
Select  H.  1.  It  is  true,  that  sometimes  Dr.  Worcester 
has  added  to  the  intensity  of  the  original  verses  by- 
such  changes  as  :  "  Can  make  this  world  (for  load)  of 
guilt  remove,"  Bk.  ii.  41 ;  but  more  frequently  he  has 
relieved  the  intense  phrases,  as :  "  Nor  let  thy  fury 
grow  (for  '•''burn'''')  so  hot,"  Ps.  6;  "  Herself  di frighted 
(iox '''' frightfuV^ )  ghost,"  Bk.  ii.  2;  "Rebelled  against 
(for  "  and  lost " )  their  God,"  Bk.  ii.  78 ;  "  Impatient 
(for  ^'' insatiate'''')  panting  for  thy  blood,"  Select,  16; 
"  And  scatters  slaughtered  millions  round  "  (for  "  heaps 
around^^)  Select,  114.  Often,  if  he  does  not  chasten  a 
rank  phrase,  he  marks  the  entire  hymn  for  omission, 
as :  "  lumps  of  lifeless  clay,"  "  heaps  of  meaner  bones," 
"  My  wrath  has  struck  the  rebels  dead.  My  fury 
stamped  them  down^""  Bk.  i.  24  and  28.  The  Con- 
necticut Hymn  Book  contains  many  lenient  altera- 
tions ;  as :  "  Before  the  moth  we  sink  to  dustj''  for  "  A 
moth  may  crush  us  in  the  dust.''''  Hy.  61 ;  "  And  put 
the  hosts  of  hell  to  flight,"  for  "  troops  of  hell,"  Ps.  68 ; 
"  Of  dust  and  ivorms  thy  power  can  frame,"  for  "  Of 
meanest  things  thy  power  can  frame,"  Ps.  8 ;  see,  also, 
Hymns  84,  380,  and  others.  The  terms  ivretch, 
wretched,  are  so  often  used  in  an  extravagant  and 
ironical  way,  that  they  may,  here  and  there,  be  ex- 
changed for  more  biblical  terms ;  as  in  Sabbath  Hymn 
Book,  595,  73. 

The  Presbyterian  (Old  School)  Collection  abounds 
with  instances  of  the  less  expressive  phrases,  inserted 
in  the  place  of  the  more  expressive  originals.  Some, 
but  not  all,  of  these  changes  are  wisely  made;  as  in 
the  following  instances : 


RANKNESS    OF   EXPRESSION. 


249^ 


Original  Form. 

Waits' s  3d  Psalm. 
And  all  ray  sivellijig  sins  appear 
Too  big  to  be  forgiven. 

Watts's  6th  Psalm. 
And   hears    when   dust  and  ashes 
speak. 

Watts's  lOth  Psalm. 
And  still  thy  saints  devour. 

Watts's  I8th  Psalm. 
In  all  the  wars  that  devils  wage. 

Watts's  26th  Psalm. 
With  hands  ivell  washed  in  innocence. 

Watts's  35th  Psalm. 
See  how  his  sounding  bowels^  move. 

Watts's  4\st  Psalm. 
Shall  find  the  Lord  has  bowels  too. 

Watts's  53d  Psalm. 
Where  his  own  carcass  lies ; 

For  God's  revenging  arm 
Scattei-s  the  bones  of  them  that  rise 

To  do  his  children  harm. 

Watts's  55th  Psalm. 
With  inward  pain  my  heart-strings 
bound. 

Watts's  69th  Psalm. 
He  saved  me  from  the  dreadful  deep, 
Nor  let  my  soul  be  drowned. 

Watts's  74th  Psalm. 
Where   once    thy  churches  prayed 

and  sang, 
Thy  foes  profanely  roar. 

Watts's  91  St  Psalm. 
Shall  keep   thee  from  the  fowler's 

snare, 
Satan  the  fowler  who  betrays. 

Watts's  74th  Psalm. 
Thy  [God's]  children  in  their  nest. 


Presbyterian  (0.  S.)  Form. 


And  all  my  growing  sins  appear 
Too  great  to  be  forgiven. 


And  hears   his  mourning  children 
speak. 


And  slight  thy  righteous  cause. 
In  all  the  wars  the  proud  can  wage. 
Arrayed  in  robes  of  innocence. 
Behold  his  kind  compassion  move. 
Shall  find  the  Lord  ha§  mercy  too. 


Where  his  own  body  lies  ; 

For  God's  avenging  arm 
Shall  crush  the  hand  that  dares  to  rise 

To  do  his  children  harm. 


What  inward  pains  my  heart-strings 
wound. 


He  saved  me  from  the  dreadful  deep, 
Where  fears  beset  me  round. 


Where   once  thy   churches  prayed 

and  sang, 
Thy  foes  profanely  rage. 


Shall  keep  thee  from  the  fowler's 

snare, 
From  Satan's  wiles,  who  still  betrays. 


Thy  [God's]  children  in  their  rest. 


*    250  FUNDAMENTAL   QUALITIES    OF   STYLE. 

Presbyterian  (O.  S.)  Form. 

And  frogs  in  baleful  armies  rise. 
While  en-vious  sinners  rage  in  vain. 
Or  plunge  to  hell,  there  justice  reigns. 
Where  never-ceasing  quarrels  cease. 
The  Lord  m  anger  on  his  throne. 


Original  Form. 

Watts' s  \05th  Psalm. 
And  frogs  in  croaking  armies  rise. 

Watts' s  \\2th  Psalm. 
While  envious  sinners /rei  in  vain. 

Watts's  I39th  Psalm. 
Or  dive  to  hell,  there  justice  reigns. 

Watts' s  121  sf  Psalm. 
Whose  nevei'-ceasing  6rau;/«?^s  cease. 

Watts's  I29th  P^alm. 
The  Lord  grew  angry  on  his  throne. 

Watts's  I45th  Psalm. 
The  Lord  supports  our  tottering  days. 

Watts. 
Labor,  and  tug,  and  strive. 

Doddridge. 
My   God,   what  silken  cords  are 
thine.    - 


The  Lord  supports  our  sinking  days. 

Hi/mn  413. 
Labor,  and  toil,  and  strive. 


My   God,  what  gentle   cords  are 
thine. 


§  18.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  the  Fundamental 
Qualities  of  the  Style. 

Perspicuity  is  one  essential  excellence  of  a  lyric. 
"  I  will  sing  with  the  spirit,  and  I  will  sing  with  the 
understanding  also."  "  In  the  church,  I  had  rather 
speak  five  words  with  my  understanding,  that  by  my 
voice  I  might  teach  others  also,  than  ten  thousand 
words  in  an  unknown  tongue."  The  worshipper  should 
not  be  driven  to  ask:  "  What  does  my  prayer  signify  ? 
Has  my  language  of  praise  any  meaning  at  all?" 
The  words  which  he  sings  should  be  so  perspicuous, 
that  he  cannot  fail  to  see  through  them  at  once.  The 
perfection  of  a  Christian  lyric  consists  in  the  fitness  of 
every  line  to  awaken,  immediately  and  simultaneously, 
the  devout  feelings  of  a  congregation.  That  is  an  im- 
perfect hymn  which  diverts  the  worshipper's  attention 


PERSPICUITY   OF   STYLE  IN  HYMNS. 


251 


from  the  inner  spirit  of  the  stanzas,  to  the  obscurity  of 
their  diction.  Not  seldom  has  a  man  been  either  baf- 
fled or  troubled  in  ascertaining  the  exact  significance 
of  the  following  lines,  as  left  by  their  authors : 


Original  Form. 


Till  a  wise  care  of  piety 

Fit  us  to  die,  and  dwell  with  thee. 


God  reigns  on  high,  hut  not  con- 
fines. 


My  crimes  are  great,  but  not  sur- 
pass. 

The  small  respects  that  we  can  pay. 
And  awfully  adore. 


The  sense  of  our  expiring  love. 
Into  my  soul  convey. 


Jehovah,  Tsidkenu,  my  death-song 
shall  be. 


Sweet  is  the  scene  when  virtue  dies. 


Its  duty  done,  as  sinks  the  day, 
Light  from  its  load  the  spirit' flies. 


Sabbath  Htmn  Book. 
Hymn  144. 
Till  by  thy  grace,  ice  all  may  he 
Prepared  to  die,  and  dwell  with  thee. 

Hymn  147. 
God  reigns  on  high,  but  ne'er  con- 
fines. 

Hymn  594. 
My  crimes  are  great,  but  ne^er  sur- 
pass. 

Hymn  1^0. 
The  best  obedience  we  can  pay. 

Hymn  184. 
In  awe  and  love  adore. 

Hymn  701. 
The  sense  of  thine  expiring  love, 
Into  my  soul  convey. 

Hymn  1006. 
Jehovah,  my  Saviour,  my  death-song 
shall  be. 

Hymn  1192. 
How  blest  the  righteous  when  he  dies. 

Hymn  1192. 
Life's  labor  done,  as  sinks  the  day. 
Light  from  its  load  the  spirit  flies. 


The  following  amendment,  while  it  makes  the  stanza 
more  luminous,  makes  it  also  more  devotional : 


Doddridge's  Original. 

When    death    shall    intetrupt    these 

songs,. 
And  seal  in  silence  mortal  tongues, 
Our  Helper  —  God,  in  wliom  we  trust. 
In  better  ux)rlds  our  souls  shall  boast. 


Presbyterian     New    School 

Hymn    Book,    Hymn    606. 

When  death  shall  close  our  earthly 

songs, 
And  seal  in  silence  mortal  tongues, 
Our  helper,  God,  in  whom  we  trust, 
Shall  keep  our  souls,  and  guard  our  dust. 


252  PRECISION    OF   STYLE   IN   HYMNS. 

There  are  many  congregations  who  do  not  compre- 
hend the  line  of  Henry  Kirke  White,  "  Though  not  thus 
buried  or  ^/^a^^e,"  and  who  utter  in  blank  amazement 
such  words  as  "Praise  the  mount,  —  I'm  fixed  upon 
it,"  or  "  Praise  the  mount.  Oh,  fix  me  on  it,"  "  Death  of 
death,  and  hell's  destruction,"  etc.  Therefore,  in  the 
majority  of  recent  hymn  books,  such  phrases  are  modi- 
fied, if  not  into  the  more  poetical,  at  least  into  the 
more  intelligible.  See  the  1276th,  648th,  1221st,  1222d 
hymns  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Precision  is  another  fundamental  quality  of  style 
which  is  often  promoted  by  a  slight  modification  of  a 
hymn.  When  Watts,  in  his  study  at  Newington,  was 
inditing  verses  in  regard  to  public  worship,  he  wrote : 
"  Peace  to  this  sacred  house.  For  there  my  friends  and 
kindred  dwell ; "  "  There  God  my  Saviour  reigns  ; " 
"  He  sits  for  grace  and  judgment  there ; "  but  when 
these  verses  are  sung  in  the  "  sacred  house,"  it  is  more 
definite  and  vivid  to  exchange  the  distant  adverb,  there^ 
for  the  present  adverb,  here.  So  it  is  more  precise  and 
more  grateful  to  speak  of  "  Jesus,  the  name  that  calms 
our  fears,"  than  with  Wesley  to  speak  of  the  name 
that  "  charms  "  our  fears.  It  is  more  exact,  and  more 
endearing  to  say, 

Jesus,  and  didst  thou  leave  the  sky, 
To  hear  our  sins  and  woes, 

than  with  Mrs.  Steele  to  say  that  he  left  the  sky,  ^^For 
miseries  and  woes."  It  is  more  definite,  and  more 
devotional  to  sing : 

"  Let  every  moment^  as  it  flies, 
Increase  thy  praise,  improve  our  joys ;  —  H.  385  ; 

than  with  Watts  to  sing : 


PRECISION    OF   STYLE   IX  HYMXS. 


253 


'•'■Each  following  minute^  as  it  flies, 
Increase  thy  praise,  improve  our  joys/* 

When  Charles  Wesley,  in  Hymn  409,  is  contrasting 
the  believer  with  the  Master,  he  says :  '•'■False  and  full 
of  sin  /  am ;  Thou  art  full  of  truth  and  grace."  A  very 
common  reading  of  this  line  is :  "  Vile  and  full  of  truth 
and  grace."  The  Sabbath  Hymn  Book  (Hymn  409) 
has  departed  from  this  common  reading,  and  returned 
to  the  first  draught,  which  is  more  precise  ;  yet  an 
advocate  for  the  "  original  text "  has  censured  the  Sab- 
bath Hymn  Book  for  here  deviating  from,  when  it  has 
gone  back  to,  Wesley's  own  words. 

Instances  of  phrases  made  more  exact  and  accurate 
by  slight  alterations,  are : 


Original  Form. 


And  those  that  choose  thy  upright 

path, 
Shall  in  those  paths  go  on. 


Our  joamey  is  a  thorny  maze, 
But  we  inarch  upward  still. 

Forget  these  troubles  of  the  ways. 
And  reach  at  Zion's  Hill. 


Then,  my  Redeemer,  then  I  find 
The  yb//ies  of  my  doubts  and  fears. 


I  knoiv,  ■\^'ith  healing  in  his  wings. 
The  Sun  of  righteousness  shall  rise. 


Jesus  demands  this  heart  of  mine. 
Demands  my  wish,  my  joy,  my  care. 

Till  terribly  I  saw. 

All  my  capacious  powers  can  wish. 

22 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  944. 

And  those  who  choose  thy  upright 

path. 
Shall  in  that  path  go  on. 

Hymn  1229. 
Our  journey  is  a  thorny  maze. 

But  we  press  upward  still. 
Forget  these  troubles  of  the  ways, 

And  march  to  Zion's  hill. 

Hymn  780. 
Then,  my  Redeemer,  then  I  find 
The  folly  of  my  doubts  and  fears. 

Hymn  768. 
And  soon,  with  healing  in  his  wings. 
The  Sun  of  righteousness  shall  rise. 

Hymn  582. 
Jesus  demands  this  heart  of  mine. 
Demands  my  love,  my  joy,  my  care. 

Hymn  500. 
Till  I  ivith  terror  saw. 

Hymn  432. 
All  that  my  loftiest  powers  can  wish. 


254 


PROPRIETY   OF   STYLE   IN   HYMNS. 


Original  Form. 


How  vain  a  toy  is  glittering  wealth, 
If  once  compared  with  thee. 


There  shed  thy  choicest  loves  abroad. 


The  burden  which  I  feel, 
Thou  canst  alone  remove. 


Or  dust  was  fashioned  to  a  man. 
We  are  his  works,  and  not  our  own. 


Haste,  my  Beloved,  yefcA  my  soul, 
Up  to  thy  blest  abode. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hymn  643. 
How  vain  a  toy  is  glittering  wealth, 
If  once  compared  to  thee. 

Hymn  1000. 
There  shed  thy  choicest  love  abroad. 

Hymn  607. 
The  burden  which  I  feel. 
Thou  only  canst  remove. 

Hymn  144. 
Or  dust  was  fashioned  into  man. 

Hymn  36. 
We  are  his  work,  and  not  our  own. 

Hymn  1252. 
Haste,  my  Beloved,  raise  vaj  soul 
Up  to  thy  blest  abode. 


Propriety  is  another  fundamental  excellence  of  style, 
which  will  not  be  disdained  by  a  good  hymn,  and  which 
may  be  often  increased  by  slight  changes  of  words. 
In  such  phrases  of  Watts  as  "  Wisdom  and  power 
belongs,"  "  Thy  power  and  love  has  made,"  "  Wisdom, 
power,  and  love,  shines  in  their  dying  Lord,"  "  Each  of 
us  cry  with  thankful  tongues^''  "  And  each  fulfil  their 
part,"  "  Thou  doth  chastise,"  "  Thou  boasted,"  there  is 
no  more  tendency  to  excite  a  devotional  spirit,  than 
there  is  in  those  phrases  modified  according  to  the 
more  approved  standard  of  the  language.  Will  any 
modern  hymn  book  insert  unaltered  the  lines : 

"  Thy  power  and  glory  xi^orks  within, 
And  breaks  the  chains  of  reigning  sin, 
Doth  our  imperious  lusts  subdue, 
And/orm.s  our  wretched  hearts  anew." — Watts,  B.IE.,  133. 

The  mind  is  rather  diverted  from  religious  contem- 
plation by  any  such  verbal  impropriety  as, "  The  orders 


PROPRIETY  OF   STYLE   IN   HYMNS.  255 

[for  order]  of  thy  house,"  "  Or  do  the  sin  [for  ill]  I 
would  not  do,"  "  And  hearken  what  [for  hearken  to 
what]  his  children  say,"  "  Indulged  [for  alloived]  my 
doubts  to  rise,"  "  Avoio  [for  accept]  our  temples  for  his 
own,"  "  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  descend /ro??!  hig-h,''^  "  From 
men  of  prudence  and  of  wit^^  (Old  English),  "With 
the  same  blessings  grace  bestoivs  [for  endoivs]  the  gen- 
tiles," etc. 

An  unusual  word  or  construction  may  sometimes  be 
needed  for  the  poetical  dignity  of  a  hymn  ;^  but  where 
not  required,  may  well  be  exchanged  for  a  phrase  more 
accordant  with  the  general  custom.  In  Newton's  cele- 
brated song,  "  Safely  through  another  week,"  he  prays 
to  the  Redeemer:  ^^ Shine  away  my  sin  and  shame." 
Bonar  adopts  the  same  language.  This  unusual  phrase 
is  sometimes  very  expressive ;  but  in  Newton's  hymn, 
it  has  been  commonly  changed  into  "  Take  away  my  sin 
and  shame."  The  line  of  Mrs.  Barbauld,  "  Ten  thou- 
sand differing  lips  shall  join,"  has  been  modified  into 
the  more  customary  form, "  Ten  thousand  thous and  lips,^^ 
etc.  The  favorite  phrases  of  Watts,  concerning  Him 
that  "  built  us,"  "  built  our  bones,"  are  usually  changed 
to  "  formed,"  or  "  made"  us  and  our  bones. 


Original  Lines. 


Fli/,   my  tongue,   such   guilty    si- 
lence. 


I  love  the  volumes  of  thy  word. 
Let  old  ingratitude  provoke,  etc. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hpmi  265. 
Break,  my  tongue,  such  guilty  si- 
lence. 

Hymn  484. 
I  love  the  volume  of  thy  word. 

Hymn  555. 
Jj&t  past  ingratitude  provoke. 


1  A  cant  word  in  a  lyric  is  an  oflfence ;  as  in  the  line  :  "  This  may  dis- 
tress the  worldling's  mind." 


256  UNIFORM   STYLE   OF  A  HYMN. 


Original  Lines. 

And  all  my  carriage  mild. 
Tremblers  beside  the  grave. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  587. 
My  words  and  actions  mild. 

Hymn  1202. 
Irembling  beside  the  grave. 


On  the  other  hand,  the  original  phrases  are  oftener 
more  conformed  to  general  usage  than  are  the  altera- 
tions. Baptist  Noel's  verse,  "  While  yet  in  anguish  he 
surveyed,"  is  better  than  the  change  in  the  Presbyterian 
N.  S.  Hymn  Book  (Hymn  507):  "While  yet  his 
anguished  soul  surveyed." 

§  19.  Alterations  in  the  Text,  as  affecting'  the  Service  of 

Song-. 

It  is  a  general  rule,  that  a  church  lyric  should  retain 
its  marked  character  from  the  beginning  to  the  close  of 
it;  that  it  should  not  commence  with  a  jubilant  and 
end  with  a  pathetic  strain ;  that  its  first  stanzas,  if 
gentle  and  tender,  should  not  be  followed  by  stanzas 
bold,  rugged,  exultant.  When  a  hymn  thus  diversified 
is  to  be  merely  read,  the  free  voice  can  overcome  all 
the  difficulties  attending  the  heterogeneous  composi- 
tion. Indeed,  the  change  from  "grave  to  gay,  from 
lively  to  severe,"  may  impart  a  new  freshness  and 
energy  to  the  hymn.  But  when  it  is  to  be  sung  in  an 
ordinary  standard  tune,  the  same  notes  are  to  be  used 
for  both  the  melting  and  the  rapturous  words ;  and, 
therefore,  cheering  sentiments  will  be  uttered  with 
plaintive  tones,  or  mournful  thoughts  will  find  vent  in 
exhilarating  strains.  There  are  various  methods  in 
which  this  evil  may  be  remedied  in  some  degree  ;  still 
it  commonly  remains  an  evil. 


MUSICAL  AND  SYLLABIC  ACCENT.        257 

It  is  also  a  general  rule,  that  the  musical  accent  be  the 
same  with  the  syllabic,  and  that  the  correspondent  lines 
of  a  stanza  contain  the  like  succession  and  kind  of 
poetic  feet.  When  the  lyric  is  to  be  merely  recited,  the 
unfettered  voice  can  hide  the  faults  arising  from  the 
want  of  uniformity  in  the  feet  of  one  line,  and  the 
want  of  symmetry  in  the  successive  stanzas  of  a  coup- 
let, or  the  alternate  stanzas  of  a  quatrain.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  the  irregular  accentuation,  breaking  up  the 
monotony  of  a  poem,  may  give  relief  to  the  ear  and 
add  vivacity  to  the  lines.  There  are  no  inflexible 
marks  of  notation  to  which  the  reader  is  bound,  and 
he  may  so  manage  the  cesural  pause  as  to  refresh  and 
enliven  the  stanzas  which  otherwise  might  have  a  hum- 
drum air.  In  music,  however,  there  is  a  fixed  system 
of  notation,  and  the  musical  bars  will  not  bend  this 
way  and  that,  for  a  wrong  accent  of  the  composer.  The 
musical  accentuation  is  a  strong  emphasis,  and  when  a 
decided  stress  is  placed  on  the  wrong  syllable,  the  idea 
is  not  given  forth  with  its  becoming  power ;  occasion- 
ally it  is  hidden  under  the  gross  impropriety  of  utter- 
ance. A  preacher  would  divert  the  mind  of  his  audit- 
ors to  a  very  unedifying  topic,  if  in  reading  Dod- 
dridge's hymn  "  Gird  on  thy  conquering  sword,"  he 
should  conform  to  the  rhythm  of  the  stanza : 


Fair  truth'  and  smil'ing  love', 
And  injured  right'eousness', 

In  thy'  retinue  move, 

And  seek'  from  thee'  redress'. 


In  some  tunes  a  man  is   compelled   to   utter   the 
following    lines    with    a    style    of    emphasis,    which 
22* 


258  MUSICAL   AND    SYLLABIC   ACCENT. 

would  expose  him  to  ridicule  if  it  were  heard  in  a 
recitation :  "  God  of  my  strength',  how  long'  shall 
I';"  "The  praises'  of  my  God'  shall  still'  My  heart' 
and  tongue'  employ';"  "  An  an'gel  of  the  Lord'  came 
down';''  "  Sing  to  the  Lord'  with  cheer 'ful  voice'." 

The  faults  of  a  hymn  are  often  made  the  more  con- 
spicuous by  this  want  of  conformity  between  the 
accents  of  the  verse,  and  the  accents  of  the  music. 
Thus  two  old  Psalms  of  the  Church  of  England  have 
been  often  sung  with  this  inaccurate  emphasis  : 

"  And  as'  thou  art'  of  all'  men  judge', 

O  Lord',  so  judge'  thou  me' 
Accord'Ing  to'  my  right'eousness', 

And  mine'  integ'ri-^?/'. 
For  this'  our  tru'est  in'terest  is', 

Glad  hymns'  of  praise'  to  sing' ; 
And  with!  loud  songs'  to  bless'  his  name', 

A  most'  dehght'ful  thing'.'* 

In  the  more  recent,  as  well  as  in  the  more  ancient 
English  hymns,  the  accents  of  the  verse  often  fail  to 
correspond  with  those  Tjy  which  the  music  is  measured. 
This  is  an  imperfection;  often,  indeed,  a  necessary 
one,  one  to  which  we  must  submit,  —  but  for  all  that, 
except  in  some  peculiar  cases,  it  remains  an  imper- 
fection. 

We  often  hear  of  va'n%'j  glo^^j  captiv'tVj  humil'iV- 
wor'shipj^er',  texY\ble\  insen'siftZe',  etc.,  in  our  tunes,  al- 
though not  in  our  speech.  Nor  is  this  a  matter  of  mere 
sound.  Sometimes  the  meaning  of  a  stanza  is  marred 
by  the  dissonance  between  the  accents  with  which  the 
verse  is  read,  and  those  by  which  the  music  is  mea- 
sured.    Even  Addison's  most  perspicuous  version  of 


MUSICAL  EMPHASIS.  259 

the  twenty-third  Psalm,  may  be  sung  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  proclaim  the  following  sentiments : 
"  The  Lord'  my  past'ure  shall  prepare': "  He  shall 
do  it ;  there  is  an  imperative  force  upon  him ; 
"  And  feed'  me  with'  a  Shep' herd's  care'  ; "  as  if  with 
were  to  be  carefully  distinguished  from  %,  which  ex- 
presses a  more  distant  relation  ;  "  His  pre'sence  shall' 
my  wants'  supply' ; "  there  must  be  no  attempt  to 
evade  this  mandate  ;  "  And  guard'  me  with'  a  watch'- 
ful  eye' ; "  with  it  as  if  He  might  be  suspected  of  guard- 
ing without  such  an  instrument.  The  transparency  of 
Addison's  hymn  would  leave  even  this  emphasis  intel- 
ligible, but  would  not  make  it  felicitous  or  impressive. 
English  lyrists  have  been  far  more  inattentive  than 
were  the  old  Latin  and  Greek  poets,  to  the  due  corre- 
spondence between  the  accents  required  by  music,  and 
those  required  by  the  sense  of  the  verse,  or  by  the  laws 
of  pronunciatiouo  Indeed,  some  of  the  most  admirable 
hymnists  have  occasionally  intermingled  the  Trochee 
with  the  Iambus,  so  that  their  verses  cannot  be  even 
read  harmoniously  without  gbAng  a  wrong  accent  to 
some  one  syllable.  In  the  recitation  of  Cowper's  touclk- 
ing  lyric,  "  Far  from  the  world,  O  Lord,  I  flee,"  we 
have  often  heard  sad  blunders : 


"  There  if  thy  Spi 'rit  touch'  the  soul', 
And  grace'  her  mean'  abode', 
Oh  with'  what  peace'  and  jo/  and  love', 
She  com'munes  with'  her  God'." 

Dr.  Nettleton,!  who  did  not  hesitate  to  introduce 

1  In  his  preface  to  these  hymns  he  says,  pp.  v.  vi. :  "  In  all  cases, 
excepting  the  h^-mns  of  established  reputation,  wherever  abridgment  or 


260  SYMMETRICAL   ACCENTUATION. 

many  accentual  changes  into  his  Village  Hymns,  has 
modified  the  final  line  thus  :  "  She  there'  communes 
with  God'."  Unless  we  adopt  this  modification,  we 
must  read  the  word  com'-mune,  with  an  accent  which 
will  of  itself  attract  the  attention  from  the  sentiment 
of  the  line  to  a  question  of  orthoepy.  Dr.  Nettleton's 
alteration  ought  to  be  adopted  in  any  ordinary  hymn  ; 
but  so  many  precious  associations  cluster  around  this 
stanza  as  it  was  first  written,  that  perhaps  it  were 
wiser  to  leave  the  line  as  Cowper  left  it. 

This  introduces  the  question  :  How  far  may  the 
structure  of  a  stanza  be  modified,  so  as  to  obtain  a  sym- 
metry between  the  successive  lines  of  a  couplet,  or  the 
alternate  lines  of  a  quatrain.  We  have  no  hesitation 
in  answering,  that  such  modifications  have  been  carried 
to  an  extreme.  Musical  difficulties  have  been  too  much 
magnified,  and  the  facility  of  overlooking  faults  of  ac- 
cent has  been  underrated.  Changes  have  been  intro- 
duced into  established  hymns  with  some  gain  to  the 
sound,  but  with  much  loss  to  the  sense  ;  or  else  with 
some  gain  to  both  the  sound  and  the  sense,  but  not 
enough  to  justify  the  disturbance  of  old  associations. 

But  a  man  need  not  become  insane,  merely  because 
he  has  found  out  one  truth.  Although  too  many  sac- 
rifices have  been  made  to  the  symmetrical  accentua- 
tion of  our  songs,  we  still  believe  that  this  excellence, 
so  marked  in  the  lyrics  of  Greece  and  Rome,  may 
conduce  to  the  spirituality  of  our  worship.  Our  hymns 
were  written  with  the  design  that  they  be  uttered  in 

alterations  were  deemed  conducive  to  the  design  of  this  volume,  they  have 
been  made  without  hesitation."  His  changes  in  hymns  of  established 
repute,  may  have  been  made  with  hesitation,  but  they  were  made,  never- 
theless. 


ACCENTUAL   CHANGES. 


261 


measured  cadence.  If  not  written  according  to  the 
laws  of  musical  delivery,  they  may  here  and  there  be 
made  more  significant,  more  emphatic,  more  solemn,  by 
giving  the  prominent  position  to  the  syllable  express- 
ing the  prominent  idea.  "  And  swift  fulfil  his  word," 
is  a  more  sensible  phrase  than  "  Swift  to  fulfil  his 
word."  Watts  put  the  accent  right  in  "  Not  all'  the 
dainties  of  a  feast."  Dr.  Worcester  added  no  force  to  the 
line  by  changing  the  accent,  "  Not  the  rich  dainties  of  a 
feast."  The  order  of  the  words  is  often  inverted,  not 
merely  for  the  music,  but  also  for  the  sentiment,  not 
always  to  avoid  a  ridiculous  error  in  elocution,  but 
sometimes  to  make  the  words  more  expressive  of  their 
meaning.  The  following  are  specimens  by  no  means 
more  decisive  than  many  others  of  accentual  changes, 
aiding  rather  than  impairing  the  significance  and  the 
decorum  of  the  hymn. 


Original. 


Who  on'ly  on'  thee  dosif  rely', 
And  in'  thee  on'ly  rest'. 


From  whence!  my  bless'ings  flow/ 
O  deign'  to  listfen  to'  my  voice'. 


With  full'  consent'  thine  I'  would 
be'. 

Like  us'  thou  hasif  a  mour'ner  been'. 


How  blest'  they  are!  and  only  the/, 
Who  in'  his  truth'  confide'. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 
Hymn   13. 

Who  doth'  on  thee'  alone'  rely. 
In  theef  alone'  doth  resf. 

ffymn  203. 
Whence  aW  my  bless'ings  flow^ 

Hymn  723. 
Oh    deign'   to   hear'   my   moum'ful 
voice'. 

Hymn  1067. 
With  full'  consenf  I  thine'  would  be'. 

Hymn  1099. 
Like  us'  a  mour'ner  thou'  hast  been'. 

Hymn  230. 
How  blest'  are  they',  and  on'ly  they', 
Who  in'  his  truth'  confide'. 


262 


ACCENTUAL   CHANGES. 


Original. 
Still  //  am  noth'inf^  with'out  love'. 


If  I'  must  die',  Oh  !  let'  me  die', 
Trusting'  in  Jes'us'  blood'. 


The  pains',  the  groans',  the  dy'ing 

strife' 
Fright   our'   approaeh'ing  souls' 

away'. 
Still  we'  shrink  back'  asain'  to  life'. 


Cease  then'  fond  na'ture,  cease'  thy 
tears'. 


Bless'ing  and'  fore' ver  blest'. 


The  world' ^  sin,  death',  and  hell'  o'er- 
threw'. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  866. 

Still  am'  I  noth'ing  with'out  love'. 

Hijmn  1171. 
K  r  must  die',  Oh  !  let'  me  die', 
With  hope'  in  Jes'us  blood'. 

Hymn  1194. 
The  pains',  the  groans',  the  dy'ing 
strife', 
Fright   our'   approaeh'ing    souls' 
away'. 
We  still'  shrink  back'  again'  to  life'. 

Hymn  1201. 
Then  cease',  fond  na'ture,  cease'  thy 
tears'. 

Hymn  1268. 
Ev'er  bles'sing,  ev'er  blest'. 

Hymn  362. 
Who  sin',  and  death',  and  hell',-o'er- 
threw'. 


The  impression  has  been  extensively  made,  that  the 
accentual  changes  of  hymns  are  found  only,  or  chiefly, 
in  the  Church  Psalmody  of  Dr.  Lowell  Mason  and 
Rev.  David  Greene.  But  they  are  found  with  still 
greater  frequency,  in  many  English  Manuals,  and  are 
numerous  in  all  the  Hymn  Books  published  in  this 
country.  The  following  is  a  specimen  of  changes  for 
the  sake  of  accent  found  in  the  Presbyterian  [Old 
School]  Collection. 


Original  Form. 

Watts's  4th  Psalm. 
Counting'  the  min'utes  as'  they  pass. 

Watts' s  18th  Psalm. 
Then  did'  his  grace'  appear'  divine'. 


Altered  Form. 
Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
And   count'   the  min'utes  as'  they 
pass'. 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
And    proved'    his    sav'ing   grace' 
divine'. 


ACCENTUAL   CHANGES. 


263 


Original  Form. 
Watts' s  18th  Psalm. 
Sweet  is'  the   peace'   my  Fa'ther 
gives'. 

Watts's  25th  Psalm. 
Till  the'  dark  eve'ning  rise'. 

Watts's  29th  Psalm. 
Over!  the  o'cean  and'  the  land'. 

Watts's  32d  Psalm. 
Through  his'  whole  life'  appears'  and 
shines'. 

Watts's  34th  Psalm. 
They  in'  his  praise'  employ'  their 
breath'. 

Watts's  50th  Psalm. 
Call    up'on    met   when    trou'ble  's 


John  Newton. 
Now  when'  the  eve'ning  sha'de  pre- 
vails./ 

Watts's  4th  Psalm. 
Know  that'  the   Lord'  divides'  his 
saints,' 
From    all'    the    tribes'    of   men' 
beside' ; 
He  hears'  the  cry'  of  pen'itents'. 

Watts's  3lst  Psalm. 
How  won'drous  is'  thy  grace^, 
And  trust'  thy  pro'mises'. 

Watts's  31st  Psalm. 

Among'  mine  en'emies'  my  name' 

Was  a'  mere  pro' verb  grown'. 

Watts's  84th  Psalm. 

Blest  are'  the  saints'  who  sit'  on  high,' 

Around'  thy  throne'  of  mafesty'. 


Altered  Form. 
Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
While   heav'enly  peace'    mj  Fa'ther 
gives'. 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
Till  eve'ning  shades'  arise'. 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
Through  ev'ery  o'cean,  ev'ry  land'. 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
Through  all'  his  life'  appears'  and 
shines'. 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
His  praise'  employs'  their  tune'ful 
breath'. 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
Invok'e   my  na'me  when  tro'uble  's 
ne'ar. 

Ibid.,  Hymn  400. 
But  now',   Avhen  eve'ning  shade' 
prevails'. 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
Know   that'  the   Lord'  divides'  his 
saints,' 
From    all'    the    tri'bes    of    men' 
besi'de ; 
He  hears'  andpit'ies  their'  complaints'. 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
How  siceet'  thy  smiV ing face' , 
And  trust'  Xhj  prom' ised  graceJ . 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
Among'  mine  en'emies'  my  name', 
A  pro'verb  vile'  was  grown'. 

Presbyterian  Old  School  Collection. 
Blest  are/  the  saints'  who  sit'  on  high,' 
Around'  thy  throne'  above'  the  sky. 


What  has  been  said  with  regard  to  the  kind  of  feet 
in  consecutive  verses,  applies  also  to  the  number  of 
feet.     This  number  must  be  uniform  in  the  correspon- 


264 


ACCENTUAL   CHANGES. 


dent  lines.  An  occasional  excrescence  of  a  verse  may 
promote  the  vivacity  of  a  poem  which  is  to  be  simply 
recited ;  but  if  it  is  to  be  sung  to  an  established  mea- 
sure, with  regularly  recurring  accents,  the  words  must 
be  fitted  to  this  measure. 


Original  Couplets. 

Nor  ever  may  we  parted  be, 

Till  I  become  one  spir-it  with  thee. 

The  trees  of  life  immortal  stand, 
Jnjiour-ish-ing  rows  at  thy  right  hand. 


Regular  Couplets. 

May  I  be  one,  0  Lord,  with  thee. 
And  never  parted  may  we  be. 

The  trees  of  life  immortal  stand, 
In  beauteous  rows  at  thy  right  hand. 
Watts,  Book  II.,  Hymn  15. 


Formerly  the  word  prayer  was  pronounced  in  two 
syllables.  At  present,  it  is  uttered  in  one ;  and  the 
word  pray-er^  in  two  syllables,  would  suggest  the  per- 
son who  prays.  In  the  hymns  of  Watts  we  find  the 
following  lines  : 


Original. 


Those  are  the  pray-ers  of  the  saints. 


And  pray^er  bears  a  quick  return. 


For  pray'er  and  devotion  are 
But  melancholy  breath. 


Worcester's  Watts. 

Book  I.,  Hymn  1. 
These  are  the  prayers  of  all  the  saints. 

Book  n.,  Hymn  123. 
And  prayers'  produce  a  quick  return. 

Book  II.,  Hymn  156. 
For  prayer'  and  grave  devotion  are 
But  melancholy  breath. 


The  word  heaven  is  sometimes  pronounced  in  two 
syllables,  but  more  properly  in  one ;  therefore  the  origi- 
nal lines,  "  Our  heaven  is'  begun',"  "  And  bowed'  the 
heavens  high',"  are  changed  into  "  Our  heaven'  is  here' 
begun',"  "  And  bowed'  the  heavens'  most  high'."  In  a 
common  metre  line  admitting  only  six  syllables,  Henry 
Kirke  White  has  written  :  "  In  the  distant  peal  it  dies ; " 


"  ONE   SWEETLY   SOLEMN  THOUGHT. 


265 


but  the  line  is  generally  altered  into,  "  In  distant  peals 
it  dies." 

There  is  an  exquisite  hymn  of  Phoebe  Carey,  which 
has  appeared  in  at  least  four  different  forms,  and  which 
must  be  either  excluded  from  the  songs  of  the  sanctu- 
ary, or  must  be  divested  of  its  original  rythmic  inequal- 
ities. 


Original  Form. 

One  sweetly  solemn  thought 
Comes  to  me  o'er  and  o'er,  — 

I  am  nearer  home  to-day, 

Than  I  have  ever  been  before ;  — 

Nearer  my  Father's  house 

Where  the  many  mansions  be ; 

Nearer  the  great  white  throne. 
Nearer  the  jasper  sea ;  — 

Nearer  the  bound  of  life, 

Where  we  lay  our  burdens  down ; 
Nearer  leaving  the  cross, 

Nearer  gaining  the  crown. 

But  lying  darkly  between, 

Winding  down  through  the  night. 
Is  the  dim  and  unknown  stream 

That  leads  at  last  to  the  light. 

Closer  and  closer  my  steps 
Come  to  the  dark  abysm ; 

Closer  death  to  my  lips 
Presses  the  awful  chrysm. 

Father,  perfect  my  trust ; 

Strengthen  the  might  of  my  faith ; 
Let  me  feel  as  I  would  when  I  stand 

On  the  rock  of  the  shore  of  death, — 

Feel  as  I  would  when  my  feet 
Are  slipping  o'er  the  brink  ; 

For  it  may  be  I  'm  nearer  home, — 
Nearer  now  than  I  think. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

One  sweetly  solemn  thought 
Comes  to  me  o'er  and  o'er  , 

Nearer  my  parting  hour  am  I, 
Than  e'er  I  was  before. 

Nearer  my  Father's  house, 
Where  many  mansions  be ; 

Nearer  the  throne  where  Jesus  reigns; 
Nearer  the  crystal  sea ; 

Nearer  my  going  home, 
Laying  my  burden  down, 

Leaving  my  cross  of  heavy  grief. 
Wearing  my  starrj--  crown ; 

Nearer  that  hidden  stream. 

Winding  through  shades  of  night, 
Rolling  its  cold,  dark  waves  between 

Me  and  the  world  of  light. 


Jesus  !  to  thee  I  cling ; 

Strengthen  my  arm  of  faith  ; 
Stay  near  me  while  my  way-worn  feet 

Press  through  the  stream  of  death. 


23 


266  CHARACTER    OF   LYRICAL    SOUNDS. 

The  principles  laid  down  with  regard  to  symmetry 
of  accent  and  of  poetic  feet,  are  also  applicable  to  the 
character  of  the  sounds  in  a  lyric.  Many  a  hymn, 
when  silently  read^  will  admit  such  lengthened  words 
as  enfeeble  it  when  it  is  sung.  The  line,  "  Praise  liim 
in  evangelic  strains,"  cannot  be  uttered  in  music  with 
as  much  vivacity  as  the  substituted  line,  "  Sing  to  his 
name  in  lofty  strains  "  (Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn 
1285) ;  nor  can  the  words,  "  How  honorable  is  the 
place,"  appear  so  quickening  as  the  words,  "  How 
honored  is  the  sacred  place  "  (i^.,  1028).  In  song,  the 
lingering  of  the  voice  on  the  line,  "  The  world's  allure- 
mentSy  Satan''s  snares,"  is  heavier  than  the  delay  upon 
"  The  world's  alluring,  fatal  snares  "  (lb.,  984).  We 
feel  the  tediousness  of  singing  the  words  of  Conder : 

"  For  there  (lie  great  Propitiatory 
Abolished  all  my  guilt." 

But  we  can  readily  sing  the  substituted  line,  which 
equally  agrees  with  the  principal  aim  of  the  hymn : 

"  My  soul  is  melted  at  the  story 
Of  him  who  lore  my  guilt." —  Sab.  H.B.,  Hymn  367. 

"  For  good  is  the  Lord,  inexpressibly  good,"  may  well 
be  exchanged  for  "  Good  is  the  Lord,  ever  gracious  and 
good,"  because  the  polysyllable  is  not  only  too  drawl- 
ing and  sibilant,  but  also  too  much  in  the  style  of 
fashionable  boarding-schools. 

The  Connecticut  Hymn  Book  substitutes  "  afflicted,^^ 
for  ^^  dispeopled ;^^  "  In  times  of  danger  and  distress," 
for  ^'general  distress  ;"  '^  ordainest,^^  for  ^^  determine st  ;^^ 
"  enduring,^^  for   "  substantial ; "    "  deep^  repentant  J"*  for 


CHARACTER   OF   LYRICAL   SOUNDS.  267 

''■penitent;^''  "And  soon  he  brings  them  low,". for  "And 
he  reduced  them  low;"  '■'•At  once  eternal  night,"  for 
^^  An  instantmieous  night;"  "0,/or  the  dayj^  instead  of 
"O,  happy  period ;  ^"^  —  and  so  in  numerous  instances. 

The  long,  open  vowels,  and  the  liquid  consonants, 
are  also  ^^referable,  in  song,  to  the  short  vowels  and  the 
mute  consonants.  Dr.  Worcester  inserts,  "  At  Eman- 
uel's birth,"  in  the  place  of  "  At  Jesus'  birth."  "  Om- 
nipotence with  wisdom  shines,"  is  often  exchanged  for 
''''Almighty  power  with  wisdom  shines."  The  line  of 
Wardlaw,  "  Loads  every  minute  as  it  flies,"  is  altered 
into  "  Loads  every  moment^  etc.  For  the  same  reason, 
the  line  of  Worcester's-Watts,  "  Oh,  for  a  sight,  2.  pleas- 
ant sight,"  should  be  restored  to  the  original,  "  Oh,  for 
a  sight,  a  pleasing  sight ; "  and  the  verse  in  the  Con- 
necticut Hymn  Book,  "  And  let  thy  excellence  be 
known,"  should  be  restored  to  Doddridge's  original, 
"  And  let  thy  various  charms  be  known."  ^ 

There  are  some  lyrics  which  require  rough  and  even 
harsh  words.  A  sterling  hymn  should  nor  be  sacrificed 
because  here  and  there  it  has  admitted  a  jagged  syllable. 
Still,  the  general  rule  demands  mellifluous  cadences  for 
our  sacred  songs.  In  despite  of  the  grating  syllables 
found  so  often  in  the  lyrics  of  Watts,  it  is  evident  that 
he  strove  after  "the  concord  of  sweet  sounds,"  and  did 
not  mean  to  be  understood  literally,  when  he  sung : 

"  How  jarring  and  how  low 
Are  all  the  notes  we  raise." 

In  some  of  his  most  exquisite  hymns,  he  resorts  to  the 
quaint  aphssresis,  for  the  sake  of  euphony : 

1  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  H.  256,  1235,  1024. 


268       SYMPHONY  AND   IMPRESSIVENESS   OF  HYMNS. 


Original. 


Now  may  our  jo}'ful  tongues 
Our  Maker's  honors  sing; 

Jesus,  the  Priest,  receives  our  songs, 
And  bears  'em  to  the  King, 


Vanish  as  though  I  saw  'em  not. 


Thy  Jesus  nailed  ''em  to  the  cross. 
And  sung  the  triumph  when  he  rose. 


And  stand  and  bow  amongst  'em 
there. 


Worcester's  Watts. 

Booh  11. ,  Hymn  36. 
Now  may  our  joyful  tongues 

Our  Maker's  honor  sing  ; 
Jesus,  the  Priest,  receives  our  songs, 

And  bears  them  to  the  King. 

Booh  II.,  Hymn  41, 
Vanish  as  though  I  saw  them  not. 

Booh  II.,  Hymn  77. 
Thy  Jesus  nailed  them  to  the  cross, 
And  sung  the  triumph  when  he  rose. 

Booh  II.,  Hymn  23, 
And  stand  and  bow  amongst  them 
there. 


While  the  following  changes  "promote  the  symphony 
of  the  hymns,  they  also  conduce  to  their  impressive- 
ness  : 


Original. 

Whilst    thou    o'erlooh''st    the    guilty 

stain, 
And  washest  out  the  crimson  dye. 

Tabor's  glorious  steep  I  climb. 

That  wished  for  period  soon  will  come. 

Shall  melt  away,  and  drop,  and  die. 

And  joyful  from  the  mountains'  tops. 

And  seals  the  blessings  sure. 

"Listen,  sinner ;  "  "Hasten,  sinner." 

Where  thy'  great  capitain  Saiviour  's 
gone'. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Hymn  5. 

For  grace  shall   cleanse  the    guilty 

stain, 
And  wash  away  the  crimson  dye. 

Hymn  693. 
Tabor's  glorious  mount  I  climb. 

Hymn  783. 
Ere  long  that  happy  day  will  come. 

Hymn  890. 
Shall  melt  away,  and  droop,  and  die. 

Hymn  1035. 
And  joyful  from  the  mountain  tops. 

Hrjmn  1047. 
And  seals  the  blessing  sure. 

Hymn  536. 
"Hear,  O  sinner;"  "Haste,  O  sinner." 

Hymn  889. 
Where  Je'sus  thy'  great  Cap'tain  's 
gone.' 


ACCOMMODATION   OF  HYMNS   TO   TUNES-  269 

Our  hymns  often  contain  abrupt  transitions  which 
confuse  the  singer.  Therefore  such  lines  as,  "  But 
what  to  those  who  find  ?  ah !  this,  Nor  tongue,  nor  pen 
can  show,"  "  And  endless  praise.  Amen,"  "  Oh  I  for  a 
seraph's  wiijg  of  fire  ?  No,  —  on  the  mightier  wings  of 
prayer,"  —  may  well  be  smoothed  down,  as  in  the 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymns  687,  1170,  978. 

We  are  aware  of  the  objections  urged  against  all 
alterations  of  hymns  for  the  mere  service  of  song. 
But  we  must  be  also  aware,  that  the  very  idea  of  a 
metrical  version  of  David's  Psalms,  is  the  idea  of 
changing  their  structure  for  the  sake  of  the  tunes. 
The  title-page  of  a  renowned  manual  for  song  is :  "A 
New  Version  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  fitted  to  the 
tunes  used  in  churches.  By  N.  Brady,  D.  D.,  late  Chap- 
lain in  Ordinary,  and  N.  Tate,  Esq.,  late  Poet  Laureate 
to  the  King  of  England."  Dr.  Watts  did  not  intend 
even  to  imitate  the  internal  structure  of  the  inspired 
Psalms;  but  he  transformed  them,  in  order  to  adapt 
them  to  certain  tunes.  He  appends  the  following 
notes  to  various  Psalms : 

Psalm  50.  Pause  2.  "  If  the  former  Heroic  Metre  do  not  fit  the 
old  Proper  Tune  of  the  fiftieth  Psalm,  for  want  of  Double  Rhymes 
at  the  end  of  every  stanza,  I  have  here  altered  the  form  of  it  much, 
in  order  to  fit  it  exactly  to  the  old  Proper  Tune ;  adding  a  Chorus, 
or  (as  some  call  it)  the  Burden  of  the  Song,  betwixt  every  Four 
Lines.  I  hope  it  will  not  be  displeasing  to  the  more  Musical  Part 
of  my  Readers,  to  be  entertained  with  such  a  Variety." 

Psalm  104.  ''This  Psalm  may  be  sung  to  the  Tune  of  the  old 
1 1 2th  or  1 2  7th  Psahn,  by  adding  these  two  lines  to  every  stanza,  viz. : 

Great  is  the  Lord ;  what  tongue  can  fi'ame 
An  equal  honor  to  his  name  ? 

Otherwise  it  must  be  sung  as  the  100th  Psalm." 
23* 


270 


CHANGES   m   THE   MEANING    OF   HYMNS. 


Psalm  139.  "  The  Epiphonema,  or  the  Burden  of  the  Song,  that 
I  have  inserted  three  times  in  the  first  Part,  was  not  introduced  by 
any  means  to  add  Beauty  to  the  Poem,  but  merely  to  reduce  it  to 
convenient  lengths  for  Singing,  -which  has  too  often  confined  the 
Ode  and  debased  it." 

Psalm  148.  "This  Psalm  may  be  sung  to  the  Tune  of  the  old 
1 1 2th  or  1 2  7th  Psalm,  if  these  two  Knes  be  added  to  every  stanza,  viz. : 


Each  of  his  works  his  name  displays, 
But  they  can  ne'er  fulfil  the  praise. 


Otherwise  it  must  be  sung  to  the  usual  Tunes  of  the  Long  Metre." 


§  20.  Changes  in  the  Text,  as  resulting  from  Clianges  in 
the  Application  of  a  Hymn, 

"  You  may  alter  the  phraseology,  but  you  must  not 
alter  the  meanirig  of  a  song."  This  is  often  asserted. 
But  the  words  and  the  idea  of  many  a  hymn  are 
changed,  in  consequence  of  a  change  in  its  application 
from  one  place  to  another.  Thus  ''^British  lands  "  be- 
come "  Christian  lands  ; "  the  '•'•British  islands  "  become 
'''•Gentile  nations''^  or  ^^  these  western  climes;^''  simple 
"  Britain  "  becomes  Zion ; "  "  this  northern  isle  "  be- 
comes "  these  tvestern  shores J^  Where  can  there  be  a 
more  decided  abandonment  of  an  idea,  than  in  the  fol- 
lowing change  of  the  old  national  song  of  England  ? 


Dr.  "Watts's  Version,  B.  II.  Ill, 

Lo7}g  may  the  King,  our  Sovereign 
[George  I.]  live, 
To  rule  us  by  his  word  ; 
And  all  the  honors  he  [Geo.  I.]  can 
give 
Be  offered  to  the  Lord. 


The  American  Version. 

Stifl  may  the  King  of  Grace  descend, 
To  rule  us  by  his  [Jehovah's] 
word  ; 

And  all  the  honors  we  can  give, 
Be  offered  to  the  Lord. 


CHANGES   m  THE  MEANING   OP  HYMNS. 


271 


The  following  are  specimens  of  nearly  fifty  such 
alterations. 


Dk.  Watts. 


Great    Britain    shakes    beneath    thy 

stroke, 
0  heal  the  island  thou  hast  broke. 

Shine,  mighty  God,  on  Britain  shine. 
While  British  tongues  exalt  his  praise, 
And  British  hearts  rejoice. 


In  Britain  is  Jehovah  known. 


The  British  isles  shall  send  their 
voice. 


What  noble  fruit  the  vines  produce ! 
The  olive  yields  a  shining  juice  ; 
Our  hearts  are  cheered  with  gen'rous 

wine, 
With  inward  joy  our  faces  shine. 


O  bless  his  name,  ye  Britons  fed 
With  nature's  chief  supporter,  bread. 


0  Britain,  trust  the  Lord :  thy  foes  in 

vain. 
And  Britain  bless  the  Loi'd  that  built 

the  skies. 


0  Britain,  know  thy  living  God. 


Let  Britain  round  her  shores  proclaim. 

Dr.  Kippis. 
Oh,  still  may  God  in  Britain  reign. 


Dr.  Worcester. 

Psalm  60. 
Our  nation  trembles  at  thy  stroke. 
Oh  heal  the  people  thou  hast  broke. 

Psalm  67. 
Shine  on  our  land,  Jehovah,  shine. 
Let  ev'ry  tongue  exalt  his  praise, 
And  evWy  heart  rejoice. 

Psalm  96. 
Among  us  is  Jehovah  known. 

Psalm  100.   .2d  Part. 
The  northern  isles  shall  send 'their 
voice. 

Psalm  104. 
What  noble  fruit  the  vines  produce ! 
The  olive  yields  an  useful  juice ; 
Our  liearts  are  cheered  with  gen'rous 

wine. 
With  inward  joy  our  faces  shine. 

Psalm  104. 
O  bless  his  name,  ye  people  fed 
With  nature's  chief  supporter,  bread. 

Psalm  115. 
In  God  we  trust ;  our  impious  foes  in 

vain. 
And  Zion  bless  the  God  who  built 

the  skies. 

Psalm  135. 
Ye  saints,  adore  the  living  God. 

Psalm  145. 
Let  evhy  realm  with  joy  proclaim. 

Select  433. 
Here  still  may  God  in  mercy  reign. 


272  CHANGES   IN   THE   APPLICATION   OF   HYMNS. 

The  seventy-fifth  psalm  of  David,  being  formally  ap- 
plied by  Watts  "  to  the  Glorious  Revolution  by  King 
"William,  or  the  Happy  Accession  of  King  George  to 
the  throne,"  declares  that 

"  Britain  was  doomed  to  be  a  slave," 

and  that  William  or  George  received  his  crown  from 
the  divine  hand, 

"  And  sware  to  rule  by  wholesome  laws; " 

but  the  second  and  third  stanzas  of  that  ode  were 
essentially  altered  by  Joel  Barlow,  in  his  edition  of 
Watts's  Psalms  for  the  churches  in  Connecticut ;  and 
Barlow's  alteration  has  been  adopted  by  succeeding 
hymnologists.  The  one  hundred  and  forty-seventh 
psalm  of  David  is  entitled  by  Dr.  Watts,  "  A  Song  for 
Great  Britain  ; "  and  after  the  opening  appeal 

"  O  Britain,  praise  thy  mighty  God," 

the  psalm  is  made  to  assign  the  reason  why  that  pros- 
pered island  should  send  up  notes  of  thanksgiving  to 
Jehovah : 

"  He  feeds  thy  sons  with  finest  wheat, 
And  adds  his  blessing  to  their  meat." 

"  To  all  the  isle  his  laws  are  shown, 
His  gospel  through  the  nation  known  ; 
He  hath  not  thus  revealed  his  word 
To  every  land :  Praise  ye  the  Lord." 

The  presence  of  these  distinctively  British  songs  in 
Watts's  Biblical  Psalms,  and  the  fact  that  he  had  not 


CHANGES   IN   THE   APPLICATION   OP   HYMNS. 


273 


hesitated  to  alter  the  inspired  odes,  both  in  phrase  and 
in  idea,  both  in  form  and  in  spirit^  was  sufficient  to 
justify  the  action  of  the  General  Association  of  Con- 
hecticnt,  at  their  meeting  in  June,  1784,  when  "  it  was 
thought  expedient  that  a  number  of  the  Psalms  in 
Doctor  Watts's  version,  which  are  locally  appropriated, 
should  be  altered  and  applied  to  the  state  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  in  general,  and  not  to  any  particular 
country ;  and,  finding  some  attempts  had  been  made  to 
alter  and  apply  those  Psalms  to  America,  or  particular 
parts  of  America,  tending  to  destroy  that  uniformity  in 
the  use  of  Psalmody  so  desirable  in  religious  assem- 
blies, they  appointed  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Timothy  Pitkin, 
John  Smalley,  and  Theodore  Hinsdale,  a  Committee 
to  confer  with,  and  apply  to  Mr.  Joel  Barlow,  of  Hart- 
ford, to  make  the  proposed  alterations." 

Occasionally,  the  application  of  a  hymn  is  changed 
in  regard  to  time.  John  Newton  wrote  a  "  Divine 
Song"  for  Saturday  evening;  but  men  who  have  loved 
his  ode  have  desired  to  utter  it  on  the  Sabbath.  Ac- 
cordingly, it  has  been  sung  by  thousands  at  Sabbath- 
morning  Prayer-meetings,  and  at  the  opening  of  the 
more  stately  morning  service  in  the  temple ;  but  with 
words  differing  somewhat  from  those  of  its  pious 
author. 


Newton's  Form. 
Safely  through  another  week,  etc. 
On  the  approaching  Sabbath  day. 
When  the  morn  shall  bid  us  rise. 

When  we  in  thy  house  appear. 
There  aiFord  us,  Lord,  a  taste. 


Common  Form. 
Safely  though  another  week,  etc. 
Waiting  in  his  courts  to-day. 
Here  we're  [wej  come  thy  name  to 

praise. 
While  we  in  thy  house  appear. 
Here  afford  us,  Lord,  a  taste. 


274 


"  HOW  ARE  THY  SERVANTS  BLESSED,  0  LORD." 


Sometimes,  also,  the  application  of  a  hymn  is 
changed  in  regard  to  the  occasion  of  its  use.  Addison 
celebrated  his  rescue  from  shipwreck  by  a  touching 
poem  of  ten  stanzas,  which  he  never  dreamed  of  hear- 
ing sung  in  the  temple  of  God.  But  long  after  his 
decease,  pious  men  adapted  it  to  a  public  occasion, 
and  inserted  g-eneral,  in  the  room  of  his  more  perso7ial, 
phrases : 


Addisok's  Hymn. 
How  are  thy  servants  blest,  0  Lord, 

etc. 
Through  burning  climes  I  passed  un- 
hurt. 
And  breathed  in  tainted  au\ 

For  though  in  dreadful  ichirls  we  hung. 

The  storm  teas  laid,  the  winds  retired, 

Obedient  to  thy  will ; 
The  sea,  that  roared  at  thy  com- 
mand, 

At  thy  command  was  still. 


Altered  Form. 

How  are  thy  servants  blessed,  O 
Lord,  etc. 

Through  burning  climes  they  pass 
unhurt, 
And  breathe  in  tainted  air. 

When  by  the  dreadful  tempest  borne. 

The  storm  is  laid,  the  winds  retire^ 

Obedient  to  thy  ^vill ; 
The  sea,  that  roars  at  thy  command, 

At  thy  command  is  stilL 


In  many  hymns,  the  pronoun  "  I "  need  not  be  ex- 
changed for  "  we,"  as  the  singular  number  is  used  rep- 
resentativehj  for  the  plural.  The  Rev.  and  Hon.  Baptist 
Noel  exchanges  the  singular  for  the  plural,  where  he 
should  have  adhered  to  the  old  form ;  as  in  the  line, 
"  No  more,  O  God,  we  boast  no  more."  Occasionally, 
however,  the  pronoun  "  I "  is  so  used  in  a  lyric  as  to 
give  it  a  special  fitness  to  the  hour  of  secret  devo- 
tion ;  and,  by  substituting  the  plural  for  the  singular, 
the  general  for  the  individual,  the  vivid  present  for  the 
historical  past,  we  make  an  individual,  private  song 
attractive  to  the  band  of  worshippers.  Such  modifica- 
tions of  Addison's  poem  have  given  it  the  currency 
which  it  has  enjoyed  during  the  last  thirty  years. 


"  HOW  BLEST  THE  SACRED  TIE  THAT  BINDS."         275 

An  impressive  Hymn  of  Mrs.  Barbauld,  "  How  blest 
the  sacred  tie  that  binds,"  is  often  sung  at  the  jNIarriage 
Festival,  and  is  termed  the  "  Wedding  Hymn."  When 
so  used,  its  original  form  is  retained,  for  it  was  at  first 
written  to  celebrate  the  "  pious  friendship "  of  two 
persons : 

"  Together  loth  they  seek  the  place, 
Where  God  reveals  his  awful  face." 

But  when  the  hymn  is  used  to  describe  the  mutual  love 
of  all  Christians,  its  form  is  changed,  and  in  our  man- 
uals for  public  song  we  read, 

"  Together  oft  they  seek  the  place,"  etc. 

So  the  "  Thanksgiving  Hymn  "  of  Mrs.  Barbauld  was 
not  originally  adapted  to  the  service  of  the  sanctuary, 
but  has  become  deeply  seated  in  the  heart  of  many 
congregations,  by  a  few  changes  like  the  following: 


Mks.  Bakbauld's  Hymn. 
Praise  to  God,  immortal  praise,  etc. 

Por  the  t'me's  exalted  juice, 
For  the  generous  olivets  use. 

Clouds  that  drop  their  fattening  dews ; 
Suns  that  temperate  warmth  diffuse ; 

These,  my  God,  to  thee  we  owe. 

And  for  these  my  soul  shall  raise 
Grateful  vows,  etc. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  H.  1142. 
Praise  to  God,  immortal  praise,  etc. 

For  the  joy  ivhich  harvests  bring, 
Grateful  praises  now  we  sing. 

Clouds  that  drop  refreshing  dews ; 
Suns  that  genial  heat  diffuse ; 

These,  great  God,  to  thee  we  owe. 

And  for  these  our  souls  shall  raise 
Grateful  vows,  etc. 


One  of  our  best  hymns  for  the  dedication  of  a  sanc- 
tuary, begins  with  the  line :  "  When  in  these  courts  tve 
seek  thy  face  ;^^^  but  the  original  hymn  of  Montgom- 


Sabbath  Hvmn  Book,  Hymn  1071. 


276 

eiy  begins  :  "  This  stone  to  thee  in  faith  ive  lay.''^  Mont- 
gomery's second  stanza  commences :  "  Here.,  when  thy 
people  seek  thy  faceP  His  hymn  was  written  for 
"  Laying  the  foundation  stone  of  a  place  of  worship." 
It  must  therefore  be  accommodated,  when  used  for  a 
Dedication  hymn. 

On  the  same  principle,  the  hymns  of  Dr.  Doddridge 
are  often  modified.  "  Being  composed  to  be  sung  after 
the  author  had  been  preaching  on  the  text  prefixed  to 
them,  it  was  his  design  that  they  should  bring  over 
again  the  leading  thoughts  in  the  sermon,  and  naturally 
express  and  warmly  enforce  those  devout  sentiments 
which  he  hoped  were  then  rising  in  the  minds  of  his 
hearers,  and  help  to  fix  them  on  the  memory  and 
heart."  ^  It  is  difficult  to  over-estimate  the  effect  which 
must  have  been  produced  by  these  pertinent  hymns, 
when  they  had  all  the  advantage  of  extemporaneous 
effusions.  A  sermon  had  been  preached  on  the  words  : 
"  My  son,  be  of  good  cheer ;  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee." 
Then  the  hymn  prepared  for  that  sermon  broke  forth 
in  a  prayer : 

"  My  Saviour,  let  me  hear  thy  voice 
Pronounce  these  words  of  peace." 

But  when  no  discourse  has  been  preached  on  "  these 
loordsj''  the  hymn,  as  adapted  to  general  worship,  may 
supplicate  for  "  the  word  "  of  peace.^ 

There  are  some  odes,  written  for  a  particular  de- 
nomination of  Christians,  and  containing  phrases  like 
"  mother   church,"    "  dear   holy  church,"  "  our   goodly 

'  Dr.  Orton's  Preface  to  Doddridge's  Hymns.     Original  edition. 
^  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  609. 


"  HEAR   OUR    SOLEMN   LITANY."  277 

church,"  which  have  become  rather  technical  with 
that  denomination,  but  which  are  not  familiar  to  the 
mass  of  worshippers  in  other  sects.  It  may  divert 
many  an  humble  suppliant  from  his  song  of  prayer,  if 
he  be  requested  to  sing,  with  Sir  Robert  Grant :  "  Hear 
our  solemn  litany^!''  when  he  might,  with  equal  propriety, 
and  with  more  of  a  home-like  feeling,  utter  the  peti- 
tion: 

Turn  on  us  a  favoring  eye, 
Hear,  oh  hear,  our  solemn  cry.i 


§  21.  Tlie  indispensable  Necessity  of  some  alterations  in 
some  hymns. 

There  are  critics  who  will  tear  down  the  defaced 
front  of  a  mansion,  leave  the  halls  and  chambers  un- 
protected from  wind,  storm,  vagrants,  and  robbers,  and 
boast  all  the  while  that  they  have  not  altered  the 
house ;  but  if  any  architect  put  up  a  wall  of  freestone 
in  place  of  the  dilapidated  brick,  he  makes  a  change ! 
But  in  fact,  he  leaves  the  house  more  like  the  original, 
than  it  was  left  by  the  critics  who  tore  much  down 
and  built  nothing  up.  To  take  away  the  first  or  the 
last  stanza  of  a  hymn,  is  like  knocking  out  the  but- 
tress of  a  structure  which  must  depend  either  upon  it 
or  upon  some  new  support.  The  new  support  is  more 
substantially  like  the  old  one,  than  the  absolute  va- 
cancy is.  The  238th  hymn  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn 
Book  contains  only  four  stanzas  of  Watts's  original 
eight.  These  four  are  unaltered.  But  the  spirit,  logi- 
cal order,  and  force  of  the  hymn  are  more  affected  by 

*  Ibid.,  Hymn  740. 

24 


278        "when   I   SURVEY   THE   WONDROUS   CROSS." 

these  bare  omissions,  than  the  201st  hymn  is  affected 
by  its  mere  alterations.  Many  lyrics  which  are  said  to 
be  curtailed  but  "  unchanged,"  would  be  far  more  sim- 
ilar to  their  primitive  form,  if,  while  abridged,  they  were 
also  made  self-consistent  and  self-poised.  When  one 
of  its  lines,  or  even  words  is  exchanged  for  another, 
the  hymn  is  said  to  be  "  mutilated  " !  But  if  a  couplet 
is  lopped  off  altogether,  and  nothing  put  in  its  place, 
then  the  lyric  is  not  "  mutilated  "  !  There  is  a  precious 
hymn  of  Dr.  Watts,  containing  five  stanzas,  from 
which  Mr.  Toplady  has  cut  off  three^  but  this  abscission 
is  not  condemned  as  injurious  —  still  he  has  altered  the 
words  of  the  second  stanza,  and  here  he  is  said  to  have 
maimed  the  original !     He  sings  : 

1 
When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross, 

On  which  the  Prince  of  Glory  died, 
My  richest  gain  I  count  but  loss, 

And  pour  contempt  on  all  my  pride. 

2 
Forbid,  0  Lord,  that  I  should  boast, 

Save  in  the  cross  of  Christ  my  God. 
1  have,  and  loish  to  have^  no  trust, 

But  in  his  righteousness  and  blood. 

This  is  the  whole  of  Mr.  Toplady's  334th  hymn. 
Now,  in  fact,  he  has  marred  the  ode  by  his  excisions 
of  stanzas,  far  more  than  by  his  changes  of  single 
terms.  In  strict  speech,  the  word  mutilate^  refers  to  a 
cutting  off  of  verses,  rather  than  a  verbal  change  in 
them ;  and  those  hymn  books  which  profess  to  quote 
the  stanzas  as  the  author  left  them,  often  contain  the 
very  sorest  mutilations.     They   pretend   to  make  no 


OMISSIONS   ARE  ALTERATIONS.  279 

changes  of  words,  but  they  leave  out  words,  metaphors, 
ideas,  the  more  important  ideas,  from  the  very  hymn 
which  they  represent  as  at  first  so  exquisitely  finished 
that  it  will  not  endure  the  alteration  of  a  particle. 
They  scorn  to  prune  a  line,  therefore  they  cut  off  a 
stanza.  They  disdain  to  change  one  offensive  phrase, 
therefore  they  omit  the  entire  hymn.  They  are  like  a 
florist  who  shrinks  from  straightening  one  crooked 
twig,  and  therefore  cuts  up  root  and  branch  of  the 
whole  plant. 

In  citing  a  passage  from  our  present  version  of  the 
Bible,  if  we  substitute  a  phrase  or  two  of  Wickliffe's 
translation,  for  some  of  the  words  authorized  by  King 
James,  we  may  indeed  impair  the  force  of  the  passage, 
but  often  we  may  impair  it  far  more  by  entirely  drop- 
ping a  few  clauses,  while  exactly  retaining  the  other 
words  of  King  James.  "  For  I  am  persuaded  that 
neither  death  nor  life  shall  be  able  to  separate  me  from 
the  love  of  God,"  is  a  more  fearfully  "  mutilated " 
quotation  than :  "  For  I  am  certain  that  neither  death 
nor  life,  neither  angels,  neither  principalities  nor  pow- 
ers, nor  things  present  nor  things  to  come,  neither 
height,  neither  deepness,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall 
be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  charity  of  God  that  is 
in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  The  most  highly  finished 
lyric  has  its  beginning,  middle,  and  end ;  its  members 
are  organized  into  one  living  system  ;  each  stanza  is  a 
complement  to  the  preceding  or  the  succeeding ;  all 
the  stanzas  modify,  or  introduce,  or  emphasize,  or  exalt 
each  other.  We  break  the  chain,  whatever  link  we 
strike.  The  once  symmetrical  composition  we  make 
disjointed  and  disproportioned,  by  leaving  out  a  single 
couplet.     The  least  beautiful  line  was  a  robe  for  all 


280  PERIL   IN   OMITTING   STANZAS. 

the  others ;  if  we  take  it  away,  they  are  left  ragged 
or  naked.  We  disturb  the  unity  of  the  thoughts,  we 
mar  the  brilliancy  of  the  images,  if  we  break  up  the 
relation  in  which  they  have  stood  to  each  other.  We 
often  disturb  this  relation  by  leaving  out  the  couplet 
which  once  came  between  and  cemented  the  parts. 
Not  infrequently  does  it  require  a  far  more  critical 
sagacity  to  ascertain  what  stanza  should  be  omitted, 
than  how  a  line  can  be  advantageously  altered.  In 
compiling  a  hymn  book,  there  is  often  more  anxiety 
in  determining  what  to  leave  out,  than  what  to  put  in. 
There  is  the  long  one  hundred  and  twenty-first  psalm, 
"  Up  to  the  hills  I  lift  mine  eyes,"  a  lyric  which  Dr. 
William  E.  Channing  pronounced  the  grandest  of  all 
Dr.  Watts's  psalms,  and  one  which  nothing  but  an  un- 
pardonable audacity  will  tempt  an  editor  to  abridge. 
All  its  seven  stanzas  in  long  metre  must  be  retained 
unaltered.  But  that  exquisite  ninety-second  psalm  of 
Watts  :  "  Sweet  is  the  work,  my  God,  my  king,"  con- 
taining the  same  number  of  verses  in  the  same  metre, 
and  also  that  hymn  which  was  the  special  favorite 
of  President  Edwards :  "  Ere  the  blue  heavens  are 
stretched  abroad,"  containing  only  six  stanzas  in  long 
metre,  are  usually  and  may  be  wisely  curtailed.  Good 
taste  and  good  sense,  rather  than  a  fixed,  arbitrary 
rule,  must  govern  the  hymnologist,  here  as  elsewhere. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  evils  resulting  from  the  alter- 
ation of  hymns  by  abridging  them,  the  abridgment 
must,  now  and  then,  be  made.  In  their  original  shape, 
our  sacred  songs  consist  often  of  ten,  fifteen,  twenty, 
or  even  fifty  stanzas.  All  of  these  will  not,  cannot  be 
sung  at  one  time.  Some  of  them  must  be  left  out, 
either  by  the  editor,  the  minister,  or  the  choir.     It  is 


PERIL   IN    OMITTING   STANZAS,  281 

better  that  they  be  omitted  by  the  editor,  leisurely,  con- 
siderately, conscientiously,  than  that  they  be  omitted 
by  the  clergyman  or  the  singers,  on  a  sudden,  and 
without  care  or  thought.  Often  the  extemporaneous 
request  that  singers  pass  by  several  stanzas,  leads 
them  to  sing  nonsense,  or  something  more  fatal.  When 
Dr.  Lowell  Mason  was  conducting  the  music  in  one 
of  our  city  churches,  the  preacher  read  the  entire 
hymn  :  "  When  thou,  my  righteous  Judge,  shalt  come," 
and  then  requested  that  the  singing  of  the  second 
stanza  be  omitted.  This  omission  left  the  following 
course  of  thought : 

1 
When  thou,  my  righteous  Judge,  shalt  come 
To  take  thy  ransomed  people  home, 
Shall  I  among  them  stand  ? 
Shall  such  a  worthless  worm  as  I, 
Who  sometimes  am  afraid  to  die, 
Be  found  at  thy  right  hand  ? 

3 
0  Lord,  prevent  it  by  thy  grace. 

The  Connecticut  Collection  has  deliberately  omitted 
the  second  stanza,  and  has  adjusted  the  third  to  the 
first  by  the  change :  ^\Blest  Saviour,  grant  it  by  thy 
grace." 

But  even  when  there  is  a  connection  preserved  be- 
tween the  stanzas  from  which  two  or  three  have  been 
extemporaneously  stricken  out,  the  fact  that  the 
preacher  has  omitted  them,  diverts  the  mind  of  wor- 
shippers to  the  query :  Why  did  he  omit  them  ?  or, 
Why  did  he  omit  these  rather  than  those  ?  or.  Why 
were  the   omitted    stanzas   ever  written  ?    still   more, 

Why  were  they  ever  republished  ? 
24* 


282  SHOULD   THE   ENTIRE   HYMN   BE   PRINTED  1 

In  his  Christian  Psalmody,  Dr.  Worcester  dispensed 
altogether  with  the  fifteenth  hymn  of  Watts's  second 
book :  "  Let  me  but  hear  my  Saviour  say."  He  went 
too  far ;  for  the  first  three  stanzas  of  the  hymn,  with 
slight  modifications,  are  excellent.  Afterwards,  con- 
ceding to  the  popular  demand  for  "  Watts  e,ntire^^^  the 
same  editor  felt  compelled  to  insert,  in  his  Worcester's 
Watts,  all  the  five  stanzas  of  the  hymn  unaltered. 
But  will  not  every  careful  minister  request  his  hearers 
to  omit,  and  will  he  not,  by  that  very  request,  tempt 
them  to  read,  and  will  they  derive  any  sober  lesson 
from  perusing,  the  monstrous  fifth  stanza :  "  So  Sam- 
son, when  his  hair  was  lost,"  etc.,  etc.  ? 

Other  things  being  equal,  the  Hymn  Book  most  con- 
genial with  the  soul  of  public  worship,  and  with  all 
the  demands  of  the  Lord's  day  and  the  Lord's  house, 
is  that  which  contains  the  choicest  variety  of  hymns 
fitted  in  their  sentiment,  their  style,  their  length,  to  be 
sung  just  as  they  are  printed,  without  any  parade  of 
verses  to  be  read  but  not  sung,  and  without  any  ab- 
rupt or  jagged  transitions  which  rouse  the  suspicion, 
that  a  critic's  hammer  has  struck  away  some  golden 
links.  Even  if  it  should  be  necessary,  it  would  be  a 
necessary  evil,  to  request  an  audience  to  unite  in  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  omitting  the  supphcations  for  daily 
bread  and  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  The  best  hymn  is  a 
prayer. 

It  is  sometimes  objected,  that  the  entire  hymn  should 
be  printed,  even  although  a  part  only  can  be  sung,  be- 
cause the  worshipper  ought  to  have  a  clear  view  of  the 
ode  in  its  original  symmetry.  But  this  objection  over- 
looks the  fact,  that  the  ode  is  not  sung  for  a  literary 
exercise,  but  in  the  very  act  of  communing  with  God. 


THE   ORIGINAL   SYMMETRY   OP  A  HYMN.  283 

The  mind  of  the  loorsMpper  should  not  be  occupied 
with  an  analysis,  or  with  a  scholar's  admiration,  of  the 
hymn,  but  with  an  expression  of  its  devout  thoughts. 
Why  should  not  the  entire  Litany  of  the  Romish 
Church  be  printed  in  the  Episcopal  Prayer  Book,  in 
order  to  reveal  the  symmetry  of  the  original  address 
to  Jehovah  ?  —  "  But  if  the  ode  be  one  of  the  Psalms  of 
David,  shall  we  dare  to  curtail  it  ?  Shall  not  the  com- 
plete work  of  inspiration  be  presented  to  the  reader"? 
"  We  must  have  Watts  entire,  because  we  thus  obtain 
David  entire."  —  Now  what  does  Dr.  Watts  himself 
confess  ?  In  a  note  to  his  loOth  Psalm  he  writes,  and 
he  might  have  appended  a  similar  remark  to  some  other 
of  his  versions  :  "  The  greatest  part  of  this  Psalm  suits 
not  my  chief  design.  I  have  therefore  imitated  only 
the  two  first  verses,  and  the  last,  in  a  short  Doxology  or 
Song  of  Praise."  The  truth  is,  that  in  Watts  we 
obtain  some  parts  of  not  all  the  inspired  odes;  and  if 
we  demand  a  fac-simile  of  all  the  parts,  we  must  aban- 
don Watts's  Imitation  for  Rouse's  Version  ;  and  even 
then  we  shall  not  secure  a  copy  of  the  Psalms  com- 
plete. 

§  22.     Changes  in  the  Text,  as  affecting  its  Consistency 
with  itself. 

When  an  infant  is  baptized,  is  he  offered  to  God  by 
the  whole  family,  —  by  the  parents  and  by  all  their  other 
children  ?  This  is  a  new  theory  of  Infant  Baptism. 
We  find  it  implied,  however,  in  one  hymn-book  which 
professes  to  insert  its  hymns  unaltered.  The  genesis 
of  the  strange  theory  is  the  following.  Dr.  William 
Bengo  Collier  wrote  three  "  Family  Hymns  for  Private 


284 


SELF-CONSISTENCY    OF   A   HYMN. 


Baptism,"  the  first  he  entitles  "Introductory;"  the 
second,  "  Before  the  Administration  ; "  the  third,  "  After 
the  Administration, /or  the  family,^''  This  third  hymn 
contains  six  stanzas,  and  is,  of  course,  too  long  for  a 
baptismal  ode.  Therefore  the  second  and  third  stanzas, 
are  generally  omitted.  Bat  the  first  stanza  offers  a 
prayer  for  the  "  loaiting  family^''  the  second  for  the 
"father,"  the  third  for  the  "  mother,"  the  fourth  for  the 
children  of  the  father  and  the  mother.  When,  there- 
fore, the  second  and  third  stanzas  are  left  out,  and  the 
remaining  stanzas  are  not  changed  in  accommodation 
to  the  first,  the  words  which  Dr.  Collier  applied  to  the 
parents,  are  transferred  to  the  entire  household,  and  we 
are  left  to  pray  for  "  the  babe  whom  they  \i.  e.,  the  wait- 
ing family]  devote  to  God. 


Collier's  Hymn. 
1 
United  prayers  ascend  to  thee, 
Eternal  Parent  of  mankind  ; 
Smile  on  this  waiting  family, 
Thv  face  they  seek,  and  let  them 
'  find. 


The  father  of  the  household  bless, 
The  priest,  the  patriarch,  let  him 
move. 

That  all  his  family  may  trace, 
In  him  thy  law,  in  lines  of  love. 


Begard  the  mother's  anxious  tears. 
Her  heart's  desire,  her  earnest 
prayers. 

And  while  her  infant  charge  she  rears, 
Crown  with  success  her  pious  cares. 


Let  the  dear  pledges  of  their  love, 
Like  tender  plants  around  them 
grow, 


The  Abridged  Hymn. 
1  -  • 

United  prayers  ascend  to  Thee, 
Eternal  Parent  of  mankind  : 

Smile  on  this  waiting  family  ; 
Thy  blessing  let  Thy  servants  find. 


[The  second  stanza,  praying  for 
the  father  is  here  omitted  ;  the  third 
stanza,  praying  for  the  mother,  is  also 
omitted  ;  therefore,  the  next  stanza 
has  grammatical  reference  to  the 
waiting  family,  who  ofler  to  God 
their  babe.] 


Let  the  dear  pledges  of  their  love 
Like  tender  plants  around  them 
grow ; 


SELF-CONSISTENCY   OF   A   HYMN. 


285 


Collier's  Hymn. 

Thy  present  grace,  and  joys  above, 
Upon  thek  little  cues  bestow. 


Receive  at  their  believing  hand, 
The   babe    whom  they   devote  as 
thine, 
Obedient  to  their  Lord's  command — 
And   seal  with   power  the  rite 
divine. 


To  every  member  of  their  house, 
Thy  grace   impart,  thy  love  ex- 
tend ; 

Grant  every  good  that  time  allows, 
With  heavenly  joys  that  never  end. 


The  Abridged  Hymn. 

Thy  present  grace,  and  joys  above. 
Upon  their  little  ones  bestow. 


Receive,  at  their  believing  hand. 
The  charge  which  they  devote  as 
Thine, 
Obedient  to  their  Lord's  command, 
And   seal,   with  power,   the  rite 
divine. 


To  every  member  of  their  house 
Thy    grace    impart.    Thy    love 
extend  ; 

Grant  every  good  that  time  allows. 
With  heavenly  joys  that  never  end. 


Did  the  Gentiles  go  through  the  wilderness,  pilgrims 
and  strangers  on  the  earth  ?  So  we  are  informed  in  a 
popular  hymn  book  : » 

TT  "flv  TT  TV  -TT  TT  "T^  TV 

Gentiles  the  ancient  promise  read, 
And  find  his  truth  endure. 

k 

Like  pilgrims  through  the  countries  round, 
Securely  the}/  removed.  . 

The  trouble  is,  that  the  fourth  and  fifth  stanzas  of  the 
psalm  are  omitted,  the  sixth  is  made  to  follow  the  third 
immediately ;  and,  therefore,  the  words  which  were 
meant  for  the  Jews,  are  grammatically  applied  to  the 
Gentiles. 

These  are  two  of  the  many  examples  proving,  that 
if  lyrics  are  modified  by  leaving  words  out,  they  must 
be  still  further  modified  by  dovetailing  together  the 
words  which  are  left  in.     That  must  be  a  remarkable 


1  Presbyterian  New  School  Collection,  Psalm  105. 


286  SELF-CONSISTENCY   OF   A   HYMN. 

hymn,  and  often  a  remarkably  poor  one,  which  will 
allow  some  of  its  component  parts  to  be  stricken  out, 
and  its  remaining  parts  to  come  into  a  new  connection, 
without  any  new  connective  words.  Often,  if  a  song 
be  compact  and  symmetrical,  its  stanzas  will  be  so  in- 
woven with  each  other,  that  they  cannot  be  transposed 
at  pleasure,  and  its  particles  of  transition  will  need  to 
be  new  modelled  in  order  to  make  the  sixth  stanza 
happily  follow  the  third.  A  perfect  hymn  is  an  organ- 
ism not  a  mere  collection  of  words. 

And  oh  !  whate'er  of  earthly  bliss 
Thy  soYereign  hand  denies. 

Can  we  begin  a  lyric  with  this  couplet  ?  It  com- 
mences the  eighth  stanza  of  a  sanctuary  song  by  Mrs. 
Steele.  Our  choicest  hymn  books  omit  the  first  seven 
of  her  song,  and  are  therefore  compelled  to  modify  the 
eighth,  when  it  becomes  the  first,  by  the  address  : 

Father  !  whate'er  of  earthly  bhss 
Thy  sovereign  hand  denies ;  ^ 

The  author  of  a  favorite  lyric  never  intended  to  in- 
troduce it  by  the  words  : 

Majestic  sweetness  sits  enthroned 
Upon  Ms  awful  brow. 

His  ?  Whose  ?  This  couplet  introduces  the  third 
stanza  of  the  original  hymn.     But  when  it  stands  in 

1  Nearly  all  our  manuals  of  song  contain  the  hymn  thus  modified,  and 
nearly  all  substitute  the  word  will,  in  the  second  line,  for  the  word  hand, 
which  is  the  original.  See  the  Presbyterian  (O.  S.  and  N.  S.),  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church,  and  the  Connecticut  Collections. 


"before  Jehovah's  awful  throne."  287 

ihe  first  stanza,  it  must  be  made  more  definite  :  "  Upon 
the  Saviour's  brow,"  or,  "  On  my  Redeemer'' s  brow." 

The  hundredth  psalm  of  Watts,  that  to  which  the 
Old  Hundredth  tune  was  so  wonderfully  adapted, 
begins : 

1  Sing  to  the  Lord  with  joj-ful  voice  ; 

Let  every  land  his  name  adore  ; 
The  British  isles  shall  send  the  noise 
Across  the  ocean  to  the  shore. 

2  Nations  attend,  hefore  his  throne, 

With  solemn  fear,  with  sacred  joy  ; 
Know  that  the  Lord  is  God  alone, 
He  can  create,  and  he  destroy. 

Does  the  second  of  these  stanzas,  unmodified,  conform 
to  the  laws  for  the  introduction  of  a  hymn  ?  Yet  in 
almost  all  our  American  Collections,  the  second  stanza 
becomes  the  first,  and  there  retains  the  magnificent 
alteration  made  by  John  Wesley  : 

Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne, 
Ye  nations,  bow  with  sacred  joy. 

When  a  convert  first  approaches  the  table  of  his 
Lord,  he  begins  his  solemn  hymn  with  the  words  : 

"  While  to  thy  table  I  repair, 
And  seal  the  sacred  contract  there, 
Witness,  0  Lord  !  my  solemn  vow  ; 
Angels  and  men  attest  it  too." 

But  these  lines  were  designed  by  their  author,  Presi- 
dent Bavies,  to  be  the  fifth  stanza  of  a  common  sacra- 
mental hymn,  and  were  therefore  written  in  the  ensuing 


288       "  THERE  IS  A  FOUNTAIN  FILLED  WITH  BLOOD." 

form,  which  is  not  peculiarly  appropriate  for  the  first 
stanza  of  an  initiatory  communion  hymn. 

"  Be  thou  the  witness  of  my  vow, 
Angels  and  men  attest  it  too, 
Tliat  to  thy  hoard  I  now  repair, 
And  seal  the  sacred  contract  there." 

The  middle  stanza,  which  Davies  wrote  for  an  ordi- 
nary sacramental  ode,  is : 

Thine  would  I  live,  thine  would  I  die, 
Be  thine  through  all  eternity ; 
The  vow  is  past  beyond  repeal, 
Now  will  I  set  the  solemn  seal. 

But  these  lines  are  now  sung  by  the  convert,  as  the 
concluding  lines  of  his  first  sacramental  ode.  There- 
fore, they  are  transposed  so  as  to  rise  in  the  form  of  a 
climax,  and  to  make  the  final  w^ords  expressive  of  a 
full,  spiritual  surrender  to  God : 

The  vow  is  past  beyond  repeal, 
Now  will  I  set  the  solemn  seal ; 
Thine  would  I  live,  thine  would  I  die, 
Be  thine  through  all  eternity.^ 

We  have  rarely  seen  in  a  church  manual  the  entire 
hymn  of  Cowper,  "  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with 
blood,"  printed  as  it  was  originally  written  (see  Sab- 
bath Hymn  Book,  Hymn  300).  The  Presbyterian  [Old 
School  and  New  School],  the  Reformed  Dutch,  the 
Connecticut,  and  the  Plymouth  Collections,  introduce 

'  See  three  dififerent  arrangements  of  President  Davies'  ode  in  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book,  H.  1067,  1068,  and  Presbyterian  (O.  S.)  Collection,  H.  272. 


"  THERE  IS  A  FOUNTAIN  FILLED  WITH  BLOOD. 


289 


various  verbal  changes.  Besides  the  positive  altera- 
tions, these  hymn  books  omit  the  two  final  stanzas  of 
the  hymn.  The  positive  alterations  are  often  con- 
demned ;  the  mere  omission  is  justified.  And  yet  the 
mere  omission  is  itself  an  important  change.  Cowper 
wrote  the  hymn  so  that  it  should  end  in  sounding  "  no 
other  name  but"  the  Redeemer's.  When,  however, 
his  two  closing  stanzas  are  omitted,  the  hymn  is  left  to 
end  with  a  "  poor  lisping,  stammering  tongue,"  "  silent 
in  the  grave."  In  an  English  Hymn  Book,  printed  in 
1827,  which  closes  with  Cowper's  fifth  stanza,  instead 
of  his  seventh,  the  evil  of  the  omission  is  lessened  by 
a  transposition  of  couplets  in  the  fifth  stanza,  and  by 
thus  making  the  abridged  hymn  end  with  a  climax 
like  that  of  the  original.  See  Sabbath  Hymn  Book, 
Hymn  301.  The  following  are  the  three  stanzas  clos- 
ing the  hymn  in  its  three  forms : 

Original  Termination. 

'T  is  strung  and  tuned  for  endless  years, 

And  formed  by  power  divine, 
To  sound  in  God  the  Father's  ears, 
No  other  name  but  thine. 


FiEST  Form  of  the  Modified 
Termination. 

Then  in  a  nobler,  sweeter  song, 
I  '11  sing  thy  power  to  save, 

When  this  poor,  lisping,  stammering 
tongue 
Lies  silent  in  the  grave. 


Second  Form  of  the  Modified 
Termination. 

And  when  this  feeble,  stammering 
tongue 

Lies  silent  in  the  grave. 
Then  in  a  nobler,  sweeter  song, 

I'll  sing  thy  power  to  save. 


We  are  well  aware  that,  in  the  present  state  of  our 
literature,  an  entire  self-consistency  in  a  hymn  cannot 
always  be  attained.  Some  of  our  most  admirable 
songs  for  the  temple  are,  in  certain  respects,  incongru- 

25 


290  AVAILABILITY   OF   HYMNS. 

ous  with  themselves.  But  we  may  innocently  approx- 
imate to  the  desired  congruity,  by  occasional  variations 
of  the  original  text ;  as  when,  for  instance,  the  singular 
pronoun  "  I "  needlessly  alternates  with  the  plural 
"  we  ; "  the  past  tense  of  a  verb,  with  the  present ;  the 
solemn  style,  with  the  familiar^  etc.  A  celebrated 
hymn  of  Watts  begins  thus : 

Nor  eye  hath  seen,  nor  ear  has  heard, 
Nor  sense  nor  reason  know. 

One  of  our  own  spirited  lyrists  has  written  of  the 
church,  that  she  is  unshaken  while  rocked  to  and  fro : 

Though  earthquake  shocks  are  rocking  her, 
And  tempests  are  abroad  — 

Unshaken  as  eternal  hills, 
Immovable  she  stands. 

It  will  certainly  do  no  harm,  either  to  the  church  or  to 
this  ode,  if  the  shocks,  instead  of  "  rocking  "  this  "  un- 
shaken" house,  should  merely  "threaten"  it,  as  in 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  H,  1038. 


§  23.  Changes  in  a  Hymn  as  affecting  its  Availability. 

"  Shall  Simon  bear  the  cross  alone  ? "  A  lyric 
beginning  in  this  way  would  seldom  be  read  from 
the  pulpit.  Therefore  we  find  a  better  name  than 
Simon's  in  the  first  line :  "  Must  Jesus  bear  "the  cross 
alone?"— The  Sheffield  poet  has  written,  "Faith, 
hope,  and  charity,  —  these  three ; "  but  where  is  the 
minister  willing  to  commence  a  song  of  praise  with 
this  arithmetical  announcement? — '''■Eighteen  centuries 


AVAILABILITY   OF  HYMNS.  291 

have  fled,"  says  Josiah  Conder ;  but  Mr.  Beecher  would 
not  probably  have  inserted  this  hymn,  unless  he  had 
given  up  the  notation,  thus :  ^^Many  centuries  have  fled." 


^^ Strange  as  it  is,  yet  this  may  be, 
For  creature-love  is  frail ; 
But  thy  Creator's  love  to  thee, 
O  Zion,  cannot  fail." 

This  stanza  will  not  properly  introduce  a  temple- 
song.  Then  a  favorite  ode  of  Mi*s.  Steele,  on  Isaiah 
49  :  14—16,  will  remain  unsung,  unless  its  first  availa- 
ble stanza  be  modified  in  some  such  manner  as  : 

"Forgetful  can  a  mother  be  ? 
Yes  :  human  love  is  frail ; 
But  thy  Redeemer's  love  to  thee, 
O  Zion  !  cannot  fail." 

Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  Hymn  420. 

« The  lofty  tune  let  Michael  raise,"  "  Sat  simply 
chatting  in  a  rustic  row,"  "  Bids  the  rash  gazer  wipe 
the  eye,"  ''  A  box  where  sweets  compacted  lie,"  "  His 
heralds  are  despatched  abroad,"  "  Pale-faced  death  will 
quickly  come,"  "'Tis  palsy,  dropsy,  fever,"  "New 
Ebenezers  to  his  praise,"  "  My  spirit  labors  up  thine 
hill,"  "  Christ  to  the  young  man  said.  Yet  one  thing 
more,"  "  Thus  much,  and  this  is  all  we  know,"  —  these 
lines,  unmodified,  make  the  hymns  containing  them 
unavailable  for  church  song;  yet  these  very  hymns, 
with  these  stanzas  modified,  are  admitted  into  Mr. 
Beecher's  Plymouth  Collectiono 

Toplady,  while  in  severe  illness,  wTote  a  sweet  hymn 


292       "when  languor  and  disease  invade." 

of  fifteen  stanzas,  and  sent  it  to  the  Countess  of  Hunt- 
ington.    It  commences  with  the  well-known  lines : 

When  languor  and  disease  invade 

This  trembling  house  of  clay, 
'T  is  sweet  to  look  beyond  our  cage, 

And  long  to  fly  away. 

The  hymn  closes  with  another  allusion  to  the  cage  : 

Oh  may  the  unction  of  these  truths 

Forever  with  me  stay, 
'Till  from  her  sinful  cage  dismissed. 
My  spirit  flies  away. 

For  public  worship,  this  mellifluous  hymn  must  be 
abridged.  It  ordinarily  closes  with  Toplady's  four- 
teenth stanza : 

If  such  the  sweetness  of  the  stream, 

What  must  the  fountain  be, 
Where  saints  and  angels  draw  their  bliss, 

Immediately  from  thee !   v 

But  Toplady  never  intended  to  conclude  his  hymn 
with  the  polysyllabic  "  immediately."  In  order  to  give 
to  the  abridgment  a  more  appropriate  conclusion,  the 
slow-moving  adverb  is  exchanged  for  a  more  obvious 
address  to  Jehovah  :  "  Direct^  O  Lord.,  from  thee."  If 
this  hymn  remain  entirely  unaltered,  it  will  seldom  be 
let  loose  from  its  cage. 

That  eminently  Biblical,  as  well  as  popular  hymn, 
"  Had  I  the  tongues  of  Greeks  and  Jews,"  —  shall  we 
sing  it?  But  it  is  like  fifty  other  excellent  hymns,  con- 
taining one  line  unfit  to  be  sung.     For  that  one  line, 


293 


shall  we  drop  the  hymn  from  our  Manual  ?  Will  not 
the  volume  be  maimed  and  mutilated  without  it? 
May  we  not  more  wisely  expurgate  two  words  from 
the  obnoxious  line  ? 


Original  Form. 

Should  I  distribute  all  ray  store, 
To  feed  the  bowels  of  the  poor. 


Sabbath  Hymn  Book. 

Should  I  distribute  all  mv  store, 
To  feed  the  hungry,  clothe  the  poor. 


There  is  a  solid  hymn  of  Doddridge,  "  Lord  of  the 
Sabbath,  hear  our  vows ; "  but  this  hymn,  in  the  ori- 
ginal form,  has  made  confusion  among  hymnologists. 
Dr.  Worcester's  Watts  has  given  one  modification  of 
it;  the  Presbyterian  [Old  School]  Collection,  another; 
the  Church  Psalmody  has  given  a  different  version, 
altogether  superior  to  the  two  preceding.  The  Sabbath 
Hymn  Book  has  inserted  this  (Hymn  1254) ;  and  also 
Doddridge's  original  (Hymn  1253).  But  probably  the 
abridged  and  amended  form,  although  perused  less,  will 
be  sung  more,  frequently  than  the  lengthened  form,  as 
it  was  left  by  Doddridge  himself. 

We  have  no  right  to  demand  that  every  alteration 
made  in  the  text  of  hymns,  should  increase  their  poetic 
excellence.  Their  religious  use  exceeds  in  value  their 
merely  rhetorical  perfection.  Some  odes  will  not  be 
sung  in  the  sanctuary,  unless  they  first  undergo  a 
modification.  It  were  a  signal  blessing,  if  this  modifi- 
cation could  always  augment  their  brilliancy  as  poems. 
But,  alas !  they  must  now  and  then  suffer  an  abate- 
ment of  their  rhetorical  splendor,  in  order  to  secure 
their  acceptance  with  the  majority  of  worshippers. 
Thus  they  are  better  hyinns,  while  they  are  poorer  odes. 
The  question  is :  Shall  we  allow  a  poem  to  be  useful 
in  the  churchy  at  the  expense  of  its  popularity  in  the 

25* 


294        "prince  op  life:   prince  op  peace." 

school?  Shall  we  permit  its  religious  utility  to  prevail 
over  its  artistic  finish  ?  Shall  the  Gothic  cathedral  be 
shorn  of  some  rich  ornaments,  in  order  to  adapt  it,  as 
an  auditorium,  to  Protestant  worship  ?  The  famed  ode 
of  Hillhouse,  too  dazzling,  perhaps,  for  a  sanctuary 
lyric,  will  be  sung,  as  abridged  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn 
Book  (H.  614),  with  more  interest,  and  with  far  more 
frequency,  than  if  its  prolonged  train  of  sentiment  had 
been  admitted  entire. 


§  24.     Concluding   Remarks. 

There  are  various  other  topics,  requiring  too  large  a 
space  for  our  present  notice,  and  intimating  reasons  for 
some  changes,  and  against  others. 

The  relation  of  a  phrase  to  the  ode  which  contains 
it,  often  suggests  an  argument  for  modifying  that 
phrase,  although  in  itself  it  may  be  superior  to  the 
words  put  in  its  place.  Unexceptionable  as  it  may  be 
in  any  other  ode,  it  may  still  help  to  make  this  ode 
monotonous,  or  gaudy,  or  stiff,  or  hard.  When  the 
entire  hymn  is  in  danger  of  too  much  ring,  it  is  better 
to  say :  "  Loud  sound  the  harps  around  the  throne," 
than  "  Loud  ring  the  harps."  The  common  reading  of 
the  sixth  line  in  Watts's  brilliant  lyric:  *'  What  equal 
honors  shall  we  bring,"  is,  "  The  Prince  of  Peace,  who 
groaned  and  died."  Perhaps  this  reading  should  be 
retained,  because  it  is  so  common  ;  it  was  sanctioned 
by  Toplady  in  1776.  It  is  not,  however,  the  original. 
Watts  wrote :  "  The  prince  of  LifeP  Both  designa- 
tions are  biblical.  The  reason  for  the  well-nigh  univer- 
sal change  of  one  Scriptural  title  for  another  is,  that 


"with  sudden  greens."  295 

the  hymn  is  already  full  of  contrasts  ;  it  has  the  fault 
of  many  old  English  poems  which  tire  their  readers  by 
strained,  quick-returning  antitheses  ;  it  sometimes  be- 
comes prosaic  in  the  accuracy  of  its  antagonisms, 
as  :  "  Wisdom  belongs  to  Jesus,  too,  Though  he  was 
charged  with  madness  there  ; "  and  hence  the  mind  is 
relieved  by  the  absence  of  a  striking  opposition  in  the 
phrases  of  the  sixth  line  :  "  The  prince  of  life  who 
groaned  and  died^^^  —  although,  in  almost  any  other 
hymn,  this  line  would  be  preferable  to  the  words  now 
substituted  for  it. 

The  symmetry  not  only  of  a  single  ode,  but  also  of 
an  entire  Collection,  may  require  for  one  Manual  such 
changes  as  are  not  demanded  for  another.  Pope 
writes,  "  See  lilies  spring  and  sudden  verdure  rise ; "  but 
in  one  of  Addison's  exquisite  hymns  he  admits  the 
term,  "  sudden  greens."  This  phrase  has  developed  the 
verdancy  of  many  readers.  It  has  been  changed  by 
some  hymnologists  into  '•'•  sudden  green^^^  by  others  into 
"  lively  green,"  and  by  others  still  into  "  lively  greens^ 
It  is  better  to  let  the  phrase  bloom  as  Addison 
planted  it.  But  there  is  no  need  of  having  it  more 
than  once  in  one  Manual.  Such  a  phrase,  however, 
when  it  blossoms  in  a  hymn  of  Addison,  will  certainly 
be  transplanted  into  other  odes.  But  when  it  is  bor- 
rowed by  inferior  lyrists,  may  we  not  transform  it  into 
some  new  flower  ?     Must  we  reiterate : 

"  The  effusions  of  his  love  shall  share, 
And  sudden  greens  and  herbage  wear." 

Dr.  RipporCs  Hymn, 

"  With  sudden  greens  and  fruits  arrayed, 
A  blooming  paradise." —  Dr.  Gibbons' s  Hymn. 


296 


TEST   OF   PROPER   ALTERATIONS. 


Why  are  certain  stanzas  omitted  or  altered  in  the 
Sabbath  Hymn  Book  ?  For  a  good  reason  ;  the  same 
stanzas  are  substantially  repeated  elsewhere  in  that 
Manual.  "Why  are  those  stanzas  unaltered  in  the 
Church  Psalmody  ?  For  a  good  reason  ;  they  are  not 
substantially  repeated  elsewhere  in  that  Manual.  In 
order  to  determine-  the  propriety  or  the  impropriety  of 
various  omissions  and  new  adjustments  of  verses,  a 
critic  must  form  a  clear  and  comprehensive  view  of  the 
entire  Collection ;  of  its  aim,  its  plan,  its  mutual  inter- 
nal fitnesses,  the  relation  of  part  to  part,  and  of  the 
various  portions  to  the  symmetrical  whole.  A  maniac 
can  slash  upon  a  grove,  but  it  can  be  well  pruned  by 
none  other  than  a  circumspect  arborist. 

It  would  often  require  a  long  time  to  enumerate  all 
the  reasons  which  combine  to  favor  a  single  change  of 
an  original  hymn  ;  but  here  a  convenient  test  for  our 
criticisms  may  be  furnished  by  this  question :  —  If  the 
author  of  the  hymn  had  written  it  in  its  present  modi- 
fied form,  should  we  have  imagined  that  it  would  be 
improved  by  changing  it  into  he  form  which  he  actu- 
ally did  select  for  it  ?  If  improved  as  a  poem,  would  it 
be  improved  as  a  hymn  ?  Perhaps  we  may  not  be  able 
to  specify  the  one  prominent  reason  for  the  following 
changes ;  but  would  any  one  think  of  altering  the 
stanzas  of  the  right  hand  column,  supposing  them  to 
be  the  author's  own  draught,  into  the  stanzas  of  the 
left  hand  column,  supposing  these  to  be  innovations 
upon  the  author  ? 


Origixal  Form. 

Our  sifis,  alas  !  how  strong  they  be, 

And,  like  a  vi'lent  sea, 
They  break  our  duty,  Lord,  to  thee, 

And  hurry  us  away. 


Altered  Form. 

Our  sins,  alas  !  how  strong  they  are/ 

And  like  a  raging  flood, 
They  break  our  duty,  Lord,  to  thee, 

And /orce  us  from  our  God. 


TEST  OF  PROPER  ALTERATIONS. 


297 


Original  Form. 

For  she  has  treasures  greater  far 
Than  east  or  west  unfold. 

And  her  reward  is  more  secure 
Than  is  the  gain  of  gold. 

Come,  almighty  to  deliver, 
Let  us  all  thy  grace  receive ; 

Suddenly  return,  and  never 
Never  more  thy  temples  leave  ! 

Thee  we  would  he  alivays  blessing, 
Serve  thee  as  thy  hosts  above. 

Pray  and  praise  thee  Avithout  ceasing. 
Glory  in  thy  perfect  love. 

If  human  kindness  meets  return, 
And  owns  the  grateful  tie  ; 

If  tender  feelings  in  us  bum. 
Because  a  friend  is  nigh. 


Altered  Form. 

For  she  hath  treasures  greater  far. 
Than  east  and  west  unfold. 

And  her  rewards  more  precious  are 
Than  all  their  stores  of  gold. 

Come,  almighty  to  deliver, 
Let  us  all  thy  grace  receive ; 

Hasten  thy  return,  and  never 
Never  more  thy  temples  leave  ! 

Dwell  in  us,  with  thy  rich  blessing, 
Dwell  in  us  with  all  thy  love ; 

We  will  praise  thee  without  ceasing, 
Serve  thee  as  thy  hosts  above. 

If  human  kindness  meets  return, 
And  owns  the  grateful  tie  ; 

If  tender  thoughts  within  us  bum. 
To  feel  a  friend  is  nigh. 


The  preceding  discussion  leads  us  to  the  following 
inference:  that  no  short,  indiscriminate,  unbending  rule 
can  be  laid  down  with  regard  to  alterations  of  hymns ; 
that  every  change  must  be  judged  by  itself,  and  by  its 
relation  to  the  contents  of  the  manual  which  allows  it ; 
that  the  main  excellence  of  a  lyric  is  neither  its  new- 
ness nor  its  oldness,  but  its  inherent  or  relative  fitness 
to  express  religious  emotion  ;  that  we  are  not  to  sacri- 
fice the  best  reading  to  om*  love  of  novelty  nor  to  our 
love  of  antiquity,  but  are  to  sacrifice  all  our  fondnesses 
for  the  novel  or  the  ancient,  to  that  reading  which  is 
the  best  in  itself  and  on  the  whole ;  that  a  reading  may 
be  the  best  in  itself,  and  yet  not  the  best  in  all  its  rela- 
tions ;  that  long  continued  usage,  popular  prejudices, 
accidental  associations,  and  general  symmetry,  may 
warrant  a  preference  for  a  phrase  which,  in  its  own  in- 
dividual character,  is  unworthy  of  such  a  preference ; 
that  alterations  always  have  been,  always  will  be,  and 


298         TEST  OF  PROPER  ALTERATIONS. 

always  must  be,  admitted  into  the  sacred  odes  of  dif- 
ferent communities  and  different  ages;  but  that  the 
original  text  should  be  retained,  unless  there  be  im- 
perative reasons  for^abandoning  it. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  DIGNITY  AND  THE  METHODS   OF   WORSHIP  IN   SONG. 

§  1.  Existing  Feeling  and  Usage  respecting  the  Service 

of  Praise. 

There  is  at  present,  in  the  American  churches,  a 
widely  prevalent,  and  rapidly  growing  dissatisfaction 
with  the  manner  in  which  the  praises  of  God  are  sung 
in  his  sanctuaries.  It  is  felt  that  the  legitimate  and 
main  object  contemplated  by  them  fails  of  being  re- 
alized in  any  suitable  degree,  and  that  probably,  in 
multitudes  of  instances,  they  do  not  convey  to  the  Su- 
preme Being  any  act  of  the  heart,  and  therefore  are 
not  worship.  Many  a  man  who  carefully  interrogates 
his  own  experience  will  confess,  that  while  the  voice 
of  public  prayer  readily  engages  his  attention  and  car- 
ries with  it  his  devout  desires,  it  is  not  so  with  the  act 
of  praise ;  that  he  very  seldom  finds  his  affections  ris- 
ing upon  its  notes  toward  Heaven,  —  very  seldom  can! 
say  at  its  close  that  he  has  worshipped  God.  The! 
song  has  been  wafted  near  him  as  a  vehicle  for  con- 
veying upward  the  sweet  odor  of  a  spiritual  service, 
but  the  offering  has  been  withheld,  and  the  song  as- 
cends as  empty  of  divine  honors  as  sounding  brass  or 
a  tinkling  cymbal. 

The  heartlessness  which  he  discovers  in  himself,  he 
very  naturally  suspects  in  others  ;  and  it  is  melancholy 


300  INDIFFERENCE   TO   ITS   RELIGIOUS   IMPORT. 

to  observe,  how  few  are  the  instances  in  which  there  is 
positive  and  satisfactory  evidence  that  it  does  not  exist. 
There  is  but  little  manifestation  of  interest  in  the  ser- 
vice, either  by  voice,  attitude,  expression  of  counte- 
nance, or  even  by  so  much  as  a  fixed  attention.  In 
saying  this,  we  must  except  the  case  of  those  whose 
attention  is  gained  by  the  interest  which  they  feel  in  a 
musical  performance.  These  give  their  attention,  but 
they  do  not  necessarily  worship.  Their  minds  are  ab- 
sorbed by  the  pleasure  of  sweet  sounds,  but  not  in  any 
contemplation  of  the  Being  addressed  by  means  of  them. 
They  do  not  make  melody  in  their  heart  to  the  Lord. 
There  are  many  things  in  the  appearance  of  our 
religious  assemblies,  which  indicate  that  by  general 
consent  a  less  degree  of  sacredness  is  attached  to 
the  act  of  praise  than  to  any  other  service  of  the 
hour.  There  is  a  degree  of  listlessness  and  inattention, 
which,  if  it  were  exhibited  during  the  sermon,  would 
be  considered  indecorous,  if  during  the  prayer,  irrever- 
ent. The  attitude  of  the  audience,  seated  in  easy, 
careless  posture,  their  eyes  often  wandering  in  idle  va- 
cancy or  inquisitive  curiosity,  indicates  a  very  wide 
difference  in  their  estimation  between  praise  and 
prayer  as  claiming  their  reverent  and  devout  attention. 
If  one  enters  the  sanctuary  while  prayer  is  offering,  he 
pauses  at  once,  and  waits  until  the  prayer  is  concluded. 
j  But  if  one  enters  during  the  singing,  he  may  pace  the 
;  whole  length  of  the  aisle,  if  need  be,  without  an  ap- 
parent suspicion  that  he  interrupts  any  one's  devotions. 
The  singing  is  the  time  for  the  multifarious  performan- 
ces of  the  sexton.  If  strangers  are  to  be  seated,  if 
notices  are  to  be  carried  to  the  pulpit,  if  the  blinds  are 
to  be   adjusted,  if  ventilation  is  required,  the  singing 


EFFECT  OF  THIS  UPON  THE  CHOIR.       301 

of  the  hymn  is  supposed  to  furnish  an  intermission  to 
the  more  important  and  sacred  parts  of  divine  service, 
during  which  these  operations  may,  with  impunity,  be 
going  on.  It  may  be  that  even  the  minister's  thoughts 
are  wandering.  He  is  finding  the  next  hymn,  and  de- 
ciding which  of  the  stanzas  it  will  be  best  to  omit;  or, 
pencil  in  hand  he  is  correcting  his  manuscript ;  or  he 
is  surveying  his  audience,  to  ascertain  what  portion  of 
the  uncertain  and  irregular  attendants  upon  his  preach- 
ing have  honored  him  with  their  presence  to-day.  If 
there  happen  to  be  two  ministers  in  the  pulpit,  the  sing- 
ing furnishes  a  convenient  time  to  deliberate  upon  an 
equitable  division  between  them  of  the  several  parts  of 
the  service.  What  a  change  does  this  show  from  the 
habits  of  our  pilgrim  fathers,  whose  reverence  for  the 
songs  of  the  Lord's  house  was  so  great  that  it  extended 
to  the  musical  notes  in  which  the  psalms  were  sung! 
They  uncovered  their  heads,  as  they  would  in  prayer, 
whenever  they  heard  one  of  the  tunes  sung,  though 
not  a  word  of  the  psalm  was  uttered. 

This  indifference  to  the  religious  import  of  the  ser- 
vice being  general,  both  in  the  pews  and  in  the  pulpit, 
it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  singing-gallery  should 
form  an  exception.  Very  often  the  choir  is  composed 
largely  of  irreligious  persons  ;  or  if  not,  they  are  usu- 
ally young,  and  in  the  exertion  of  religious  influence 
in  the  church  to  which  they  belong,  they  are  rather  fol- 
lowers than  leaders.  We  have  no  right  to  look  to  them 
for  any  higher  degree  of  religious  edification  from  the 
act  of  praise,  than  is  demanded  by  the  general  voice  of 
the  church.  If  the  choir  have  reason  to  believe  that  it 
is  not  edification  but  entertainment,  that  is  desired,  it 
would  be  strange  enough  if  they  should  not  endeavor  to 

26 


802  MUSICAL   ENTERTAINMENT. 

furnish  entertainment.  As  things  now  are,  our  choirs 
perfectly  understand  that  their  singing  is  not  regarded 
as  in  any  emphatic  sense  a  religious  act,  but  rather  as 
a  skilful  performance,  whose  chief  end  is  either  musi- 
cal, gratification,  a  relieving  variety  in  the  order  of 
worship,  or  at  best,  an  enlivening  influence  prepar- 
ative for  what  is  to  follow.  It  is  true,  that  a  plea  may 
be  instituted  in  favor  of  furnishing  musical  delight  in 
the  sanctuary,  on  the  ground  of  its  attractiveness  to 
those  who  have  no  delight  in  prayer  and  preaching. 
But  this  plea  is  not  a  sufficient  warrant  for  making 
pleasure-seeking  or  pleasure-furnishing  a  chief  end  in 
any  service  of  the  house  of  God.  If,  however,  the 
church  admit  the  plea,  or  if  they  do  not  strenuously 
resist  it,  they  may  be  sure  that  the  choir  will  meet  its 
demands  if  it  is  possible.  They  will  obtain  every 
variety  of  music,  sacred  and  secular,  which  the  tune- 
venders  can  supply.  They  will  indulge  without  stint 
the  insatiable  hankering  after  what  is  newand  popular. 
They  will  have  tunes  made  of  songs,  ballads,  glees, 
minuets,  martial  airs ;  tunes  drawn  from  German, 
French,  and  Italian  operas;  strains resembUng as  nearly 
as  possible  those  which  give  delight  in  the  drawing- 
room,  at  the  banquet,  on  the  parade-ground,  in  the 
popular  concert-room,  or  even  at  the  play-house.  When 
an  old  and  standard  tune  is  sung,  in  which  harmonies 
that  are  richly  ecclesiastical  adorn  a  plain,  animated, 
stately  melody,  it  will  be  with  a  feeling  of  condescension 
to  those  who  cannot  keep  pace  with  the  progress  of 
the  age,  and  will  always  require  an  apology  to  the 
musically  enlightened. 

In  all  this  the  choir  are  less  to  be  blamed  than  we 
imagine.  They  do  but  meet  the  demand  which  is  made 


THE  CHURCHES  MAINLY  IN  FAULT.       303 

upon  them  by  the  congregation.  The  fault  lies  mainly 
with  the  churches,  which  seem,  until  quite  recently,  to 
have  dismissed  all  care  for  the  honor  of  God  in  psalm- 
ody, and  to  have  felt  no  responsibility  about  a  service 
which  it  was  their  duty  to  guard  with  a  wakeful  and 
holy  jealousy.  Churches  that  would  have  quickly 
detected  irreverence  or  lightness  in  prayer,  or  a  pervad- 
ing savor  of  secularity  in  the  sermon,  have  shown  a 
surprising  insensibility  to  the  domination  which  world- 
liness  has  usurped  over  the  service  of  public  praise. 
"  If  there  is  any  department  of  practical  duty,"  says 
the  Christian  Examiner^  "  in  which  the  churches  '  are 
carnal  and  walk  as  men,'  it  is  here."  Is  it  too  much 
to  say,  of  the  great  majority  of  our  churches,  that  the 
spirit  of  piety  has  long  since  ceased  to  preside  over 
their  public  songs,  and  that  it  is  to  be  feared  that  these 
songs  do  neither  express  the  devotions  of  the  churches, 
nor  promote  their  edification?  The  power  of  a  psalm- 
ody purely  religious  in  aim,  in  character,  in  association, 
and  in  the  whole  manner  of  its  performance,  is  not  ex- 
perienced. Its  wonderfully  quickening  influence  upon 
the  faith,  hope,  love,  and  zeal  of  the  churches,  such  as 
it  has  been  known  to  exert  in  some  of  the  most  inter- 
esting of  its  historic  periods,  is  not  now  felt.  There 
are  hundreds  of  churches  in  our  land,  whose  psalmody 
can  hardly  be  called  either  an  act  of  devotion  or  a 
means  of  grace.  Its  glory  has  departed ;  and  with  it, 
alas!  much  of  that  fervid  glow  of  piety,  and  genial 
warmth  of  Christian  affection,  which  have  so  often  de- 
scended as  heavenly  gifts  through  the  cloud  of  ascend- 
ing praise. 

Within  a  few  years  past,  and   especially  since   the 
recent  religious  revival,  attention  has  been  awakened 


304  IS   THERE   A   REMEDY  ? 

more  than  ever  before,  to  the  evils  which  we  have 
attempted  to  describe ;  and  it  has  become  a  question 
deeply  engaging  the  thoughts  of  many  of  the  ministers 
and  churches  of  the  land,  ^ — How  may  our  psalmody 

BE    RESTORED    TO    ITS    PROPER    POSITION    AND   INFLUENCE 


IN    THE    SERVICES    OF    THE    SANCTUARY 


In  attempting  to  answer  this  inquiry,  so  far  as  we 
may  be  able,  it  is  proposed,  first,  to  offer  a  few  thoughts 
upon  the  importance  of  praise  as  an  essential  part  of  in- 
stituted worship ;  and,  then,  to  inquire  ivhat  manner  of 
performing  this  service  is  most  consonant  with  the  ends 
ichich  it  contemplates. 

§  2   The  Importance  of  Praise^  as  seen  in  its  Nature. 

An  act  of  praise  is,  by  its  nature,  an  exercise  of  ele- 
vated and  direct  worship.  It  is  common  for  us  to  speak 
of  the  ordinary  services  of  the  sanctuary,  as  services  of 
worship.  Strictly  speaking,  however,  the  only  services 
of  worship  are  prayer  and  praise.  We  worship  when 
we  confess  our  sins  and  supplicate  the  divine  favor, 
and  we  worship,  when  in  devout  contemplation  of  the 
adorable  attributes  and  beneficent  works  of  Jehovah, 
we  thank  and  praise  him.  But  in  listening  to  divine 
instruction,  or  in  preaching  the  word,  there  is  not  neces- 
sarily any  act  of  worship.  The  dignity,  sacred n ess, 
and  solemnity  of  that  act  by  which  mortals  approach 
the  infinite  Jehovah  in  the  language  of  direct,  personal 
address,  belong  to  prayer  and  praise  alone.  However 
at  fault  our  public  praises  may  be,  however  they  may 
fail  of  the  high  ends  which  they  professedly  contem- 
plate, they  still  hold  as  conspicuous  a  place  among  the 
services  of  the  house  of  God  as  prayer.     Professedly, 


r 


PRAYER   AND    PRAISE    COMPARED.  305 

one  half  of  our  worship  is  praise.  By  general  and  al- 
most universal  consent,  praise  is  so  important  a  part  of 
divine  worship,  that  it  is  allowed  to  stand  side  by  side 
with  prayer,  even  though  the  manner  of  its  performance 
is  such,  that  often  man  seems  to  be  praised,  rather  than 
God ;  human  art  and  skill,  rather  than  divine  goodness 
and  grace.  And  it  accords  with  reason  that  God  should 
be  worshipped  as  much  by  praise  as  by  prayer ;  that 
our  minds  should  be  as  much  occupied  with  the  divine 
character  and  works,  as  with  the  thought  of  our  own 
sins  and  wants.  To  worship  God,  is  to  pay  him  the 
honors  which  are  his  due.  We  worship  him  in  confes- 
sion and  supplication,  by  the  honor  which  is  thereby 
paid  to  his  forgiving  and  saving  grace.  But  were  it 
not  for  sin,  and  for  the  innumerable  wants  which  sin 
occasions,  our  worship  would  not  take  this  form.  The 
w^orship  of  holy  beings  in  heaven  is  chiefly  praise.  It 
concerns  itself  not  with  the  wants  of  the  creature,  but 
with  the  perfections  of  the  Creator.  We  do  not  say 
that  affectionate,  believing  prayer,  may  not  be  as  pure 
and  acceptable  an  act  of  worship  from  the  saints  on 
earth,  as  praise.  But  it  is  less  elevated,  and  less  direct. 
Prayer  is  often  a  step  toward  praise ;  as  when  David 
says,  "  Bring  my  soul  out  of  prison,  that  I  may  praise 
thy  name."  Such  prayer  relies  on  the  grace  whose  ex- 
ercise will  furnish  an  occasion  for  praise ;  and  thereby, 
indirectly,  though  truly,  honors  that  grace.  Indeed,  we 
cannot  deny  that  the  faith  whiclik  expects  the  grace 
which  it  supplicates,  but  has  not  received,  pays  pe- 
culiar honor  to  the  hearer  of  prayer,  through  the  con- 
fidence which  it  reposes  in  him.  He  is  pleased  with 
such  faith.  But  must  he  not  be  still  more  pleased 
with  those  thankful  ascriptions  which  refer  the  existence 
26* 


306       THE  HEBREWS  A  MUSICAL  PEOPLE. 

of  that  faith  ultimately  to  him  ?  "  The  praise  of  God," 
says  an  old  English  divine,  "  is  the  choicest  sacrifice 
and  worship  under  a  dispensation  of  redeeming  grace ; 
this  is  the  prime  and  eternal  part  of  worship  under  the 
gospel." 

§  3.  The  Dignity  of  Praise  seen  in  the  Divine  Appoint- 
ments respecting'  it. 

We  see  still  further  the  importance  of  praise,  when 
we  notice  the  conspicuous  part  which  God  has  caused 
it  to  form  in  the  worship  of  both  the  Hebrew  and  the 
Christian  church. 

And  let  it  be  first  observed,  that  the  nation  which  he 
chooses  to  be  peculiarly  his  own,  and  to  illustrate  to 
the  world  his  will,  as  well  in  regard  to  the  manner  of 
his  worship,  as  to  other  things,  is  an  intensely  musical 
nation.  Poetry,  song,  and  instruments  of  music,  were 
the  Hebrews'  delight.  No  doubt  their  songs  had 
cheered  their  hours  of  toil  in  Egypt,  and  mitigated 
their  wearisome  bondage. 

He  who  "  giveth  songs  in  the  night "  had  furnished 
them  this  solace  in  the  long  years  of  their  oppression. 
For  no  sooner  do  they  stand  upon  the  shores  of  the 
Red  Sea,  a  free  nation,  and  safe  from  the  fury  of  their 
pursuers,  than  they  are  ready,  with  timbrel  in  hand,  for 
the  performance  of  the  triumphal  ode,  elaborate,  and 
highly  artistic  in  its  structure,  which  Moses  indites  for 
them.  In  the  hasie  of  their  flight  from  the  land  of 
their  task-masters,  they  forget  not  to  take  with  them 
their  instruments  of  musical  recreation  and  delight. 
The  idolatrous  service  with  which  the  people  soon  after 
worshipped  the  golden  calf,  was  rendered  by  the  aid  of 
song.     "  The  noise  of  them  that  sing,  do  I  hear,"  said 


JOURNEYS   TOWARD  JERUSALEM.  307 

Moses,  as  he  came  down  from  the  mount.  They  cel- 
ebrated their  victories  with  music.  David  returns  from 
the  slaughter  of  the  Philistine,  to  meet  the  welcome 
of  singers  and  players  from  all  the  cities  of  Israel. 
The  army  of  Jehoshaphat  returns  from  its  victory  over 
the  allied  forces  of  Ammon,  Moab,  and  Mount  Seir, 
with  psalteries,  and  harps,  and  trumpets.  The  social 
life  of  the  Hebrews  bore  witness  to  their  love  of  music. 
"  The  harp  and  the  viol,  the  tabret  and  pipe,  were  in 
their  feasts."  The  bringing  of  the  ark  from  the  house 
of  Obed-Edom  to  Jerusalem,  was  an  occasion  of  a  very 
imposing  musical  performance.  And  on  more  ordinary 
occasions  than  this,  the  journeys  of  the  people  toward 
Jerusalem,  in  companies,  from  the  towns  and  villages 
of  the  land,  were  enlivened  by  song.  The  collection 
of  psalms  commencing  with  the  120th,  and  ending 
with  the  134th,  were  probably  used  on  these  occasions. 
"  Ye  shall  have  a  song,"  says  the  prophet  Isaiah,  "  as 
in  the  night  when  a  holy  solemnity  is  kept;  and  glad- 
ness of  heart,  as  when  one  goeth  with  a  pipe  to  come 
unto  the  mountain  of  the  Lord."  Evidently  David 
had  taken  part  in  those  musical  processions,  and  his 
delight  in  them  is  shown  by  the  pathetic  allusion  which 
he  makes  to  them,  during  his  temporary  exile  from  the 
holy  city.  "  When  I  remember  these  things,  I  pour* 
out  my  soul  in  me  ;  for  I  had  gone  with  the  multitude  ; 
I  went  with  them  to  the  house  of  God,  with  the  voice 
of  joy  and  praise."  A  greater  than  David  was  once 
found  in  one  of  those  travelling  companies,  on  its  way 
to  Jerusalem  from  Nazareth.  He  was  then  but  twelve 
years  of  age;  but  he  was  a  Jew,  and  doubtless  partook 
of  the  characteristic  tastes  of  the  nation  to  which  he 
belonged.     Did  not  he    also,  like    David,  mingle   his 


308  BABYLON. 

"  voice  of  joy  and  praise,"  with  the  voices  of  his 
parents,  his  "kinsfolk  and  acquaintance"?  We  know 
the  pleasure  with  which,  in  after-life,  he  listened  to  the 
hosannas  of  other  Jewish  children  in  the  temple,  and 
we  always  expect  the  children  of  a  musical  people  to 
be  singers.  Perhaps  there  is  no  more  striking  illustra- 
tion of  the  love  of  music  in  the  Jewish  people,  than 
their  taking  their  harps  with  them  to  Babylon,  when 
they  went  there  as  captives.  Exiled  from  their  homes, 
and  from  their  native  hills  and  valleys,  cut  oflF  from  the 
joy  of  their  great  annual  festivals  in  the  city  and  tem- 
ple of  their  pride,  reduced  to  a  humiliating  subjection 
under  an  idolatrous  power,  they  seemed  to  have  looked 
upon  their  harps  and  songs  as  the  only  delight  which 
remained  to  them.  And  when  their  captors  call  upon 
them  for  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion,  we  discover  that 
this  national  characteristic  of  the  Hebrews  is  fully  un- 
derstood in  Babylon. 

He  who  knows  the  heart  which  he  has  created,  saw 
fit  very  largely  to  use  this  national  love  of  song  in  the 
religious  training  of  the  Hebrew  people.  In  a  great 
variety  of  ways  he  employed  it  as  one  of  the  most 
powerful  means  of  raising  their  warmest  thoughts, 
their  best  and  highest  impulses  toward  himself. 

The  national  existence  of  this  long-oppressed  people 
was  commenced  in  one  of  the  most  sublime  outbursts 
of  song  which  the  earth  has  ever  heard.  The  chosen 
captains  of  Pharaoh,  his  horses,  his  chariots,  and  his 
mighty  host,  were  drowned  in  the  Red  Sea.  They 
sunk  to  the  bottom  as  a  stone,  and  the  depths  covered 
them.  On  the  eastern  shore  stood  two  and  a  half  mil- 
lions of  liberated  bondmen,  still  agitated  by  the  con- 
flict between  hope  and  fear,  while  waves  of  joy  were 


THE  RED   SEA.  809 

breaking  in  upon  their  hearts,  like  the  returning  billows 
upon  which  they  gazed.  How  shall  this  day  of  won- 
ders be  made  to  teach  this  emancipated  and  exulting 
people  its  appropriate  lesson?  How  shall  these  swell- 
ing and  rapturous  emotions  upon  this  birth-day  of  a 
nation's  freedom,  which  naturally  would  minister  to 
pride  and  self-glorying,  be  turned  into  the  channel  of 
praise  to  God  ?  Immediately,  doubtless  on  that  very 
morning,  a  song  is  furnished  for  the  occasion  from  the 
lips  of  their  inspired  leader,  picturing  in  most  graphic 
expression  the  scene  which  had  just  been  witnessed, 
and  ascribing  its  glorious  result,  in  almost  every  phrase, 
to  Almighty  power  and  goodness. 

The  heavenly  paean  is  caught  from  him,  and  reechoed 
from  more  than  a  million  of  voices,  till  the  air,  now 
filled  with  morning  light,  is  flooded  with  their  song. 
"  I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed 
gloriously;  the  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into 
the  sea."  The  vivid  description  proceeds,  only  pausing. 
at  the  close  of  each  stanza  for  another  million  of  voices, 
led  by  Miriam,  to  pour  in  the  sublime  antiphonal  re- 
frain, "  Sing  ye  to  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed 
gloriously ;  the  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into 
the  sea." 

Many  things  conspire  to  put  it  beyond  question  that 
this  remarkable  song,  the  most  ancient  now  in  exist- 
ence, was  dictated  by  the  Spirit  of  inspiration,  —  its 
intrinsic  grandeur  and  simplicity,  the  importance  of  the 
occasion,  the  desirableness  that  this  first  great  national 
exercise  of  worship  should  embody  a  model  form  of 
praise,  and,  more  than  all,  the  reference  which  is  made 
to  it  in  the  Apocalypse,  as  constituting  a  part  of  the 
song  of  final  victory  sung  by  martyrs  in  heaven,  stand- 


310       THE  TABERNACLE  AND  THE  TEMPLE. 

ing  -apon  the  sea  of  glass  mingled  with  fire,  — "  And 
they  sing  the  song  of  Moses,  the  servant  of  God,  and 
the  song  of  the  Lamb." 

Passing  to  the  time  when  the  Jews  were  established 
in  their  own  land,  and  the  elaborate  system  of  Leviti- 
cal  worship  was  fully  developed,  we  find  under  David 
and  Solomon  four  thousand  Levites  praising  the  Lord 
with  instruments  of  music,  and  two  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  cunning  men,  well  instructed  in  the  songs 
of  the  Lord,  praising  with  the  voice.  This  expensive 
and  magnificent  musical  establishment  existed  by  spe- 
cial divine  appointment.  "  For  so  was  the  command- 
ment of  the  Lord  by  his  prophets."  Out  of  thirty- 
eight  thousand  Levites,  four  thousand  were  selected 
"  to  stand  every  morning  to  thank  and  praise  the 
Lord ;  and  likewise  at  even." 

Not  only  did  God  select  a  musical  nation  to  be  his 
peculiar  people,  but  he  selected  for  its  most  celebrated 
king,  a  man  who,  while  he  was  the  greatest  monarch 
and  warrior  of  the  nation,  was  at  the  same  time  its 
most  gifted  poet,  and  its  sweetest  psalmist. 

He  who  furnished,  for  the  use  of  public  praise,  a 
collection  of  sacred  lyrics  unrivalled  in  his  own  nation 
and  in  every  other,  who  left  an  example  to  the  world 
of  enthusiastic,  unfaltering,  and  almost  heavenly  praise, 
who  from  youth  to  old  age,  from  a  stripling  to  the 
time  of  gray  hairs,  with  psaltery  and  harp  and  voice 
showed  forth  the  loving-kindness  of  God  every  morn- 
ing, and  his  faithfulness  every  night,  —  was  he  whom 
"  the  Lord  commanded  to  be  captain  over  his  people," 
when  he  "  sought  him  a  man  after  his  own  heart." 

The  ancient  ritual,  when  it  had  fully  served  the 
purpose  intended  by  it,  was   destined   to   disappear. 


PSALMODY   OF  THE   CHRISTIAN   CHURCH.  311 

Many  things  belonging  to  it  utterly  vanished  away. 
But  not  so  the  temple  songs.  Our  Saviour,  when  he 
sang  with  his  disciples  the  passover  hymn,  not  only 
conferred  the  highest  honor  upon  the  service  of  praise, 
as  practised  by  the  Jews,  but,  by  connecting  it  as  he 
did  with  the  impressive  ordinance  which  he  was  then 
establishing,  most  clearly  indicated  his  will  that,  to  the 
end  of  time,  those  who  meet  to  remember  him  in  the 
sacramental  supper  should  remember  him  also  in  the 
hymn  of  praise  and  thanksgiving.  If  the  collection 
of  psalms  commencing  with  the  113th,  and  ending 
with  the  118th,  was  sung  at  the  institution  of  the 
supper,  as  is  commonly  supposed,  it  certainly  was 
not  inappropriate  to  the  occasion ;  for  it  contains 
the  warmest  sentiments  of  grateful  recollection,  holy 
joy,  and  cheerful  consecration. 

But  the  effusions  of  ancient  inspiration,  lofty  and 
devout  as  they  were,  and  in  many  respects  unequalled, 
as  they  always  will  be,  could  not  be  expected  to  meet 
fully  the  wants  of  a  new  and  vastly  superior  economy. 
Accordingly,  we  find  provision  made  at  a  very  early 
day  for  a  new  psalmody  in  the  Christian  Church. 
Among  the  supernatural  gifts  enumerated  by  Paul  as 
bestowed  upon  the  Corinthian  church,  the  psalm  is 
the  first  which  he  mentions.  We  cannot  doubt  that 
Paul  himself  possessed  the  gift,  and  that  he  refers  to 
his  exercise  of  it,  when  he  says,  "  I  will  sing  with  the 
Spirit,  and  I  will  sing  with  the  understanding  also." 
We  have  historical  evidence  that  the  Christians,  at 
about  the  close  of  the  first  century,  were  in  the  habit 
of  meeting  "  to  sing  hymns  to  Christ  as  God."  Such 
hymns  must,  of  course,  have  originated  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church ;  and  "  it  may  not  be  improbable,"  says 


312  THE   MANNER   OF   PRAISE. 

Olshausen,  "  that  the  first  Christian  hymns,  such  as, 
according  to  Pliny,  were  sung  by  the  Christians  in 
their  meetings,  owed  their  origin  to  those  persons  who 
were  endowed  with  that  form  of  the  gift  of  tongues 
called  ylraX/jLov  e')(eLvP 

The  gift  of  psalms  to  the  early  church,  sets  a  new 
and  broad  seal  of  divine  approbation  upon  that  part 
of  the  worship  of  God  which  consists  of  praise.  In 
addition  to  this,  we  find  the  duty  of  a  proper  attention 
to  psalmody  urged  upon  the  churches  in  at  least  four 
of  the  apostolic  epistles.  These  apostolic  precepts 
carry  with  them,  of  course,  the  weight  of  inspired 
authority.  They  call  the  attention  of  Christians  every- 
where to  a  duty  which  is  made  binding  by  the  force 
of  express  and  reiterated  injunction. 


§  4.  The  Manner  of  Praise^  as  indicated  by  the  Nature 
of  the  Service. 

Having  considered  thus  far  the  importance  of  Praise 
as  an  essential  part  of  instituted  worship,  we  are  pre- 
pared to  inquire,  as  was  proposed,  what  manner  of 
performing  this  service  is  most  consonant  with  the 
ends  which  it  contemplates  ?  Should  the  praise  of  God 
be  conducted  exclusively  by  selected  choirs^  or  should  it 
be  principally  congregational^  including  always  the  help 
and  lead  of  a  choir  selected  from  the  congregation? 

In  advocating,  as  we  propose  to  do,  the  latter 
method,  our  first  argument  will  be  drawn  from  several 
considerations  suggested  by  the  nature  of  the  service ; 
and  first,  the  general  principle  that  utterance  in  worship 
is  a  help  to  devotion. 

It    needs  no  argument  to  prove    that  the  devout 


UTTERANCE  A  HELP  TO   DEVOTION.  313 

interest  felt  by  each  individual  in  an  act  of  worship  is 
greatly  assisted  by  his  taking  the  words  of  devotion 
upon  his  own  lips.  To  speak  what  we  feel  is  natural. 
We  do  this  in  our  closets ;  not  because  it  is  necessary 
that  God  should  hear  our  words,  nor  because  we  wish 
others  to  hear  us  when  we  pray  in  secret ;  but  because 
speech  is,  both  by  necessity  and  by  habit,  our  ordinary 
medium  of  communication  with  other  minds.  Strong 
emotions  also  demand  utterance.  They  often  lay  hold 
of  the  organs  of  speech,  and  press  them  into  service, 
almost  before  the  will  has  had  time  to  issue  its  orders. 
A  pang  of  grief,  or  a  thrill  of  joy,  flies  to  the  lips,  and  is 
spoken,  without  the  help  of  a  deliberate  volition.  The 
strong  emotions  which  we  feel  toward  God,  tend  spon- 
taneously toward  language,  and  quickly  frame  for 
themselves  a  form  cff  utterance.  The  desire  which*  is 
fraught  with  intensity,  moves  the  lips,  as  Hannah's 
were  moved,  even  when  articulation  is  purposely 
avoided.  The  joy  which  is  too  full  to  be  adequately 
expressed,  does  not  therefore  remain  silent,  but  declares 
itself  to  be  "  unspeakable,  and  full  of  glory."  A  pray- 
ing soul  is  not  usually  satisfied  that  its  intercourse 
with  Heaven  should  be  merely  an  unspoken  and  spirit- 
ual communion.  It  muses,  the  fire  burns,  and  then 
the  tongue  speaks.  "  I  cried  unto  the  Lord  with  my 
voice,"  said  the  psalmist;  "with  my  voice  unto  the 
Lord  did  I  make  my  supplication."  "  Deliver  me  from 
blood  guiltiness,  O  God ;  .  .  .  and  my  tongue  shall 
sing  aloud  of  thy  righteousness."  "  Open  thou  my 
lips,  and  my  mouth  shall  show  forth  thy  praise." 

Secondly,  this  general  principle,  that  utterance  in 
worship  is  a  help  to  devotion,  has  a  still  stronger  appli- 
cation when  our  worship  is  public.     The  natural  ten- 

21 


314  SOCIAL   NATURE   OF   PUBLIC   WORSHIP. 

dency  of  devout  feeling  toward  language,  which  shows 
itself  even  in  our  closets,  is  strengthened  by  the  pres- 
ence of  a  worshipping  assembly.  We  are  social  be- 
ings ;  and  freedom  of  vocal  utterance,  is  one  of  the 
prime  demands  of  our  social  natures.  The  chief  ob- 
ject of  public  worship  is  united  worship.  We  join  our 
fellow  Christians,  that  we  may  worship  with  them.  We 
instinctively  seek  the  society  of  our  kind.  We  do  this 
the  more,  as  we  discover  how  similar  to  our  own  are 
the  mental  experiences  of  others.  When  we  go  to  the 
sanctuary,  we  comply  not  less  with  the  demands  of 
these  social  impulses,  than  with  the  dictates  of  religion. 
It  is  a  pleasure  to  us  to  go  to  the  house  of  God  in 
company  with  those  whose  wants,  griefs,  hopes,  joys, 
aspirations,  are  like  ours,  that  we  may  unite  with  them 
in  expressing  these  emotions.  We  do  not  meet  to  be 
auditors  and  spectators  of  the  devotions  of  a  delegated 
few,  appointed  and  set  apart  to  worship  for  us,  but 
to  mingle,  in  sympathetic  exercise,  and  harmonious, 
blended  utterance,  those  devout  affections  which  char- 
acterize in  common  the  great  Christian  brotherhood ; 
to  gather  together  in  one  the  thanksgivings,  the  aspira- 
tions, the  praises,  of  scores  and  hundreds  that  are  one 
in  Christ  Jesus,  and  that  are  "  agreed  as  touching"  the 
sentiments  which  they  speak ;  to  add  flame  to  flame, 
/rom  the  private  altars  of  individual  hearts,  until  the 
fire  of  devotion  from  the  great  altar  of  the  sanctuary, 
fanned  on  every  side  by  the  general  breath  of  praise, 
mounts  upward  "like  mingling  flames  in  sacrifice." 

Thirdly,  the  service  of  praise  in  the  sanctuary^  meets 
the  principle  of  ivhich  ive  have  spoken,  both  in  its  indi- 
vidual and  in  its  social  application.  It  admits  a  general 
vocal  participation.     The  hymn  to  be  used  on  a  given 


PROVISION  FOR  UNITED  UTTERANCE.  315 

occasion  is  in  every  one's  hands.  The  tune  may  also 
be.  Simple  laws  in  relation  to  time,  make  it  possible 
for  hundreds  and  thousands  of  voices  to  give  to  each 
word  and  syllable  a  simultaneous  utterance.  Other 
laws  regulating  the  pitch  of  sound,  not  only  secure  uni- 
son, or  harmony  of  intonation,  but  conduct  these  hun- 
dreds or  thousands  of  voices  through  those  pleasing 
modulations  of  tone,  which  add  the  delights  of  music 
to  the  advantages  of  simultaneous  expression. 

Upon  the  very  face  of  such  a  service  as  this,  is  writ- 
ten the  obvious  intention  that  every  voice  should  take 
part  in  it.  Its  whole  structure,  provided  the  musical 
notation  be  not  too  intricate,  shows^itto  be  an  express 
and  beautiful  provision  for  a  general  want.  Its  exist- 
ence for  thousands  of  years  is  to  be  traced  not  merely 
to  the  letter  of  divine  precept,  but  to  the  instinctive  de- 
mands of  the  devoat  mind,  claiming  for  itself  the  priv- 
ilege of  uniting  with  heart  and  voice  in  at  least  some 
portion  of  the  public  worship  of  God.  In  this  view, 
congregational  singing  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  Christian 
privilege.  It  is  to  be  encouraged,  as  affording  to  every 
one  an  opportunity  of  expressing  for  himself,  and  in 
concert  with  others,  the  devout  exercises  of  his  own 
heart.  Such  is  the  nature  of  song,  that  it  carries  with 
it  an  invitation  to  all,  who  can  do  so  without  disturb- 
ing the  devotions  of  others,  to  bring  their  thanks,  and 
pay  their  vows  audibly,  by  means  of  it.  There  are  a 
few  who  do  this  in  every  worshipping  assembly.  Why 
not  all  ?  Why  should  any  be  deprived  of  the  enjoy- 
ment, and  of  the  personal  edification  which  they  would 
experience  by  using  the  faculties  which  God  has  given 
them  in  publishing  his  praise  ? 

It  will  not  be  denied  that  it  is  one  advantage  of  the 


316  WEITTEN   FORMS   OF   PRAYER. 

use  of  written  forms  of  prayer,  that  it  permits  each  indi- 
vidual to  accompany  the  minister  "  with  a  pure  heart  and 
humble  voice."  This  advantage  is  thought,  however,- 
by  most  Christian  denominations,  to  be  outweighed 
by  the  far  superior  advantages  of  extemporaneous 
prayer.  But,  since  extemporaneous  prayer  renders  the 
vocal  participation  of  the  assembly  impracticable,  there 
is  the  more  need  that  the  singing  should  be  congrega- 
tional, so  that  there  may  be  some  exercise  in  which 
every  one  may  feel  that  he  has  a  part  to  perform. 

§  5.  The  Manner  of  Praise^  as  indicated  by  the  Common 
Effect  of  Choir-singing. 

If  the  provision  which  is  made  for  a  general  partici- 
pation in  the  song  be  disregarded,  and  only  a  few  en- 
gage in  it  with  the  voice,  then  we  not  only  lose  the 
pleasure  and  the  benefit  of  this  intensely  social  exercise, 
but  we  shall  experience  such  evils  as  might  be  expected 
from  violating  the  evident  design  of  public  song  as  in- 
dicated by  its  nature.  The  natural  tendency  of  devout 
feeling  toward  language  being  checked,  the  feeling 
itself  will  be  in  a  measure  repressed.  All  personal 
interest  in  the  service  will  be  very  liable  to  be  dis- 
missed. There  will  be  a  feeling,  on  the  part  of  some, 
that  the  choir,  and  those  who  sustain  it,  are  exercising 
an  unjust  monopoly  over  the  praises  of  the  sanctuary, 
are  standing  between  them  and  the  adorable  object  of 
their  worship,  and  depriving  them  of  a  privilege  of 
which  God  does  not  deprive  them.  A  far  greater 
number,  however,  will  surrender  themselves  to  the  at- 
tractions of  music,  and  become  a  mere  auditory. 
There  is  always  a  tendency,  when  a  service  is  con- 


THE    CONGREGATION   A   MERE   AUDIENCE.  317 

ducted  in  our  hearing,  in  which  we  do  not  audibly  en- 
gage, to  fall  into  the  passive  attitude  of  listeners.  Let 
the  special  and  exclusive  function  of  using  the  voice 
in  a  given  service,  be  devolved  on  a  selected  few,  and, 
spontaneously,  we  become  their  audience.  This  ten- 
dency may  be  felt  even  in  public  prayer ;  and  it  may  some- 
times require  an  effort  so  far  to  resist  it  as  to  heartily 
unite  in  the  petitions  which  are  offered  in  our  hearing. 
In  song,  this  tendency  is  much  stronger,  and  much  harder 
to  resist,  than  it  is  in  prayer.  It  is  so  strong  as  to 
create  ?ipr  oh  ability^  to  say  the  least,  that  those  who  do 
not  sing,  are  rather  listeners  than  worshippers.  Music 
is  an  absorbing  thing.  There  is  no  art  whose  power  is 
so  widely  felt  and  acknowledged.  From  the  cradle  of 
the  world's  history,  its  potent  appeal  has  elicited  a 
response  from  almost  the  universal  heart  of  mankind. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  frequent  and  fruitful  sources 
of  public  and  social  entertainment.  Would  we  be 
soothed  or  exhilarated  —  we  court  its  aid,  yield  to  its 
power,  and  passively  wait  to  feel  ourselves  wafted 
upon  its  gentle  wings,  or  stirred  by  its  inspiring  call. 
In  either  case,  we  are  expecting  the  power  of  art  to 
bring  us  its  ministry  of  pleasure,  by  which,  without 
any  activity  of  our  own,  we  are  to  be  wrought  upon 
as  the  mere  objects  and  recipients  of  an  influence. 
Into  this  passive  and  pleasure-loving  attitude  we  are 
accustomed  to  compose  ourselves  whenever  music  of 
an  attractive  sort  is  within  our  hearing.  At  the  fire- 
side, at  the  social  gathering,  in  the  concert-room,  it  is 
our  habit  to  listen  to  music  merely  for  enjoyment. 
This  is  our  acknowledged  end.  And  with  the  Ameri- 
can people  there  is  almost  nothing  to  counteract  the 
influence  of  this  habit.    The  discontinuance,  long  ago, 

27* 


318  THE  CONGREGATION   A   WORSHIPPING  ASSEMBLY. 

of  the  custom,  which  was  universal  with  our  fathers, 
of  congregational  singing,  and  with  it  singing  in  fam- 
ily worship,  has  left  us  almost  no  opportunities  of  sing- 
ing for  strictly  and  exclusively  devotional  ends.  The 
consequence  of  this  is,  that  the  singing  in  the  house 
of  God  finds  us  under  the  power  of  the  inveterate 
habit  of  regarding  what  is  sung  as  only  a  production 
of  cultivated  art,  and  listening  to  it  as  such.  Instead 
of  being  a  worshipping  assembly,  we  are  an  audience, 
and  almost  as  much  so  in  the  singing  as  in  the  ser- 
mon. This  habit  is  greatly  fostered  by  the  choir,  at 
least  by  many  choirs,  whose  evident  purpose  it  is,  if 
we  may  judge  from  the  nature  of  their  selections,  and 
the  style  of  their  performances,  to  gratify  the  musical 
fancies  which  they  know  to  exist.  Whether  they  suc- 
ceed in  this  or  not,  the  result  is  the  same  upon  the 
religious  state  of  the  congregation,  whose  devotions 
are  no  more  assisted  by  their  disappointment,  than 
they  would  be  by  their  gratification. 

Let  now  the  words  of  the  song  be  put  into  the 
mouth  of  every  worshipper,  let  the  inspiring  notes  of 
melody  be  taken  upon  every  one's  lips,  and  how 
quickly  is  the  whole  mental  attitude  of  this  congrega- 
tion transformed!  From  being  a  passive,  receiving, 
criticizing,  or  coldly  indifferent  audience,  it  rises  to  the 
posture  of  lively,  elevated,  enthusiastic  devotion.  He 
who  before  was  supinely  waiting  to  be  either  enter- 
tained or  impressed,  is  now  in  active  communion  with 
the  Father  of  his  spirit.  In  this  general  sacrifice  of 
the  assembled  multitude,  he  feels  that  he  too  has  some- 
thing to  offer  as  well  as  they,  and  he  is  personally  en- 
gaged in  presenting  his  own  oblation.  Instead  of  re- 
garding with  an  idly  curious  speculation  the  manner 


DEVOTIONAL   SINGING.  319 

in  which  others  worship,  his  faculties  of  both  body 
and  soul  are  now  enlisted  in  the  work  of  praise.  Mind, 
and  heart,  and  voice,  are  called  into  action.  Thus 
engaged,  there  is  not  only  nothing  to  hinder  the  actings 
of  a  genuine  spirit  of  devotion,  but  everything  to  favor 
and  assist  such  a  spirit.  A  hearty  participation  in  the 
song  by  every  voice,  removes  the  liability  to  be  seeking 
for  mere  musical  gratification  ;  while  the  fact  that  all 
are  singing,  and  none  are  merely  listening,  removes 
from  those  who  have  leading  voices  the  temptation 
to  sing  to  the  ear  of  men  rather  than  to  the  praise  of 
God. 

It  may  be  questioned,  whether  congregational  sing- 
ing is  not  the  only  method  of  praise  which  can  be 
reasonably  expected  to  be  largely  devotional ;  whether 
it  is  not  the  only  effectual  corrective  that  can  be 
administered  to  the  habit  of  singing,  and  listening  to 
song,  in  the  house  of  God,  with  the  same  ends  in  view 
which  prevail  in  the  concert-room  ;  whether  there  is 
not  a  certainty,  not  to  say  a  necessity,  that  a  congrega- 
tion of  worshippers  will  always  become  a  congregation 
of  auditors,  whenever  praise  is  sung  by  a  selected 
company  only;  whether  a  choir,  stationed  in  the 
organ-loft,  and  having  the  sole  charge  of  the  singing, 
is  ever  regarded  as  an  integral  part  of  the  assembly,  in 
full  sympathy  with  it  in  the  utterance  of  devotion,  and 
not  rather  as  an  orchestral  group  of  performers,  whose 
musical  exhibitions  may  properly  be  subjected  to  the 
coldly  calculating  estimate  which  mere  performers 
commonly  expect.  If  this  be  so,  then  there  can  be  but 
little  question,  what  mode  of  praise  should  be  chiefly 
encouraged  by  those  who  would  see  the  devotions  of 
the  churches  expressed  in  their  public  songs. 


320  THE  TEMPLE  WORSHIP. 

§  6.    Choir-singing  appropriately  Jewish. 

Under  the  old  economy,  it  was  not  the  privilege  of 
all  the  people,  but  only  of  selected  classes,  to  take  part 
in  the  established  temple  service.  The  worship  was 
representative  in  its  character,  including  many  a  wall 
of  partition,  by  which  the  people  generally  were  de- 
barred the  privilege  of  a  personal  participation.  They 
were  kept  at  a  distance  from  the  object  of  their  wor- 
ship, that  his  dread  might  fall  upon  them,  and  that 
they  might  fear  to  sin  against  Him.  Priests  only 
might  enter  the  tabernacle  or  the  temple.  Only  the 
high-priest  could  enter  the  most  holy  place,  and  he 
only  once  a  year,  and  then  not  without  blood.  The 
sacrifices  of  the  people  must  be  offered  for  them,  and 
not  by  them.  They  must  provide  victims  to  be  offered 
for  their  sins  ;  but  they  might  not  approach  the  altar,  or 
enter  the  court  where  the  priests  offered  them.  They 
might  be  present  when  the  songs  of  Zion  were  sung, 
and  at  the  conclusion  of  them  utter  some  brief  response ; 
as,  on  the  occasion  when  the  ark  was  brought  to  Zion 
and  set  in  the  midst  of  the  tent  that  David  had  pitched 
for  it,  a  psalm,  filling  a  large  part  of  the  16th  chapter 
of  1  Chronicles,  was  sung  by  Asaph  and  his  brethren, 
who  were  Levites,  at  the  end  of  which  all  the  people  said 
"  Amen,"  and  praised  the  Lord.  Some  have  inferred, 
from  such  responses  as  this,  that  all  the  people  had  at 
least  some  small  part  in  the  psalmody  of  the  temple. 
But  there  appears  no  reason  for  supposing  that  these 
responses  were  sung.  The  probability  is,  that  they 
were  merely  spoken.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  prayer 
of  Solomon,  at  the  dedication,  we  read  that  the  people 
worshipped  and  praised  the  Lord,  saying,  "  For  he  is 


LEVITES   THE   ONLY   SINGERS.  321 

good  ;  for  his  mercy  endureth  forever."  But  the  occa- 
sion, and  especially  the  attitude  of  the  people,  who 
"bowed  themselves,  with  their  faces  to  the  ground, 
upon  the  pavement,"  makes  it  very  improbable  that 
their  response  was  sung.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
the  answer  of  the  people,  saying  "  Amen !  Amen ! " 
when  Ezra  opened  the  book  to  read  in  their  presence 
"  and  blessed  the  Lord."  To  suppose  that  there  was 
singing  on  the  occasion  of  Nehemiah's  rebuking  the 
usurers  by  whom  the  people  were  oppressed,  and  to 
whom  their  lands  and  houses  were  mortgaged,  would 
be  quite  absurd.  But  we  read  that  "  all  the  congrega- 
tion said  Amen,  and  praised  the  Lord." 

There  seems  no  reason  to  question,  that  the  psalmody 
of  the  established  temple  service  was  conducted  by  the 
Levites  alone,  and  that  it  was  as  rigidly  confined  to 
them  as  was  the  offering  of  the  sacrifices  to  the  priests. 
They  were  expressly  appointed  to  this  duty ;  all  the 
Scripture  injunctions  in  reference  to  it  are  addressed  to 
them  ;  and  whenever  mention  is  made  of  the  persons 
by  whom  the  singing  was  performed  on  any  given 
occasion,  we  are  invariably  told  it  was  by  the  Levites. 
When  it  is  said  that  "  David  and  all  Israel  played 
before  God  with  all  their  might,  and  with  singing,  and 
with  harps,  and  with  psalteries,  and  with  timbrels,  and 
with  cymbals,  and  with  trumpets,"  at  the  removal  of 
the  ark,  we  are  probably  to  understand  that  it  was 
only  in  the  playing  of  instrunients  that  "all  Israel" 
took  a  part,  while  the  singing  was  exclusively  by  Le- 
vites. This,  it  is  true,  was  not  a  temple  service  proper ; 
but  the  occasion  was  one  of  great  solemnity,  and  would 
doubtless  require  an  exact  and  scrupulous  adherence 
to  the  methods  of  the  temple  ritual.     Lightfoot  calls 


322  WORSHIP   BY   SUBSTITUTES. 

attention  to  the  distinction  which  we  have  made,  and 
says,  that  if  any  man  of  worth  or  piety,  not  a  Levite, 
but  in  near  affinity  with  the  priesthood,  were  skilful  in 
musical  devotions,  and  should  offer  his  services,  wish- 
ing to  join  the  temple  chorus,  "  they  refused  him  not, 
but  let  him  put  in  with  his  instrument  among  the 
instruments ;  but  among  the  voices  he  might  not  join, 
for  that  belonged  only  to  the  Levites." 

" J/z  the  tabernacle  and  the^emple^''  says  Home,  "  the 
Levites  (both  men  and  women)  were  the  lawful  musi- 
cians ;  but  on  oilier  occasions^  the  Jews  were  at  liberty 
to  use  any  musical  instruments,  with  the  exception  of 
the  silver  trumpets,  which  were  to  be  sounded  only  by 
the  priests." 

Choir-singing  belonged  appropriately  to  the  Jewish 
system  of  religion,  and  was  a  legitimate  result  of  the 
principle  pervading  the  system,  by  which  the  mass  of 
the  people  were  to  be  sedulously  excluded  from  all 
near  approach  to  Jehovah  in  acts  of  worship.  The 
*'  bounds  "  which  were  set  at  the  base  of  Mount  Sinai 
to  keep  both  people  and  priests  from  attempting  to 
ascend  its  sides  when  Jehovah  should  come  down  upon 
it,  illustrate  this  principle.  Everywhere  the  sword  of 
divine  displeasure  was  seen  flaming  forth,  in  more  or 
less  menacing  aspect,  to  remind  them  that  their  sins 
were  a  wall  of  separation  between  them  and  Him.  He 
could  be  approached  by  the  nation  only  through  the 
ministry  of  a  selected  priesthood,  sanctified  for  this 
express  purpose.  They  were  to  appear  in  the  temple 
as  the  representatives  of  the  nation.  Their  worship  at 
the  altar  of  sacrifice,  at  the  altar  of  incense,  and  in 
song,  was  official  and  vicarious.  They  worshipped /or 
the  people,  who,  as  individuals,  had  not  the  privilege  of 


A   DIFFERENT   ECONOMY.  823 

SO  near  an  approach  to  God  as  to  come  to  the  inner 
courts  of  his  house,  and  who  probably  could  not,  even 
upon  their  great  national  festivals,  when  assembled  at 
Jerusalem  by  thousands,  join  in  those  lofty  temple 
songs,  commemorative  of  national  prosperity  and  re- 
nown, by  which  every  heart  was  touched,  and  which 
doubtless  every  tongue  was  w^ell  qualified  to  sing. 

§  7.   The  Manner  of  Praise^  as  indicated  by  the  Nature 
of  the  Christian  Dispensation, 

An  economy  widely  different  from  the  Jewish  has 
supervened.  There  is  now  a  better  covenant,  and  the 
bringing  in  of  a  better  hope.  At  the  offering  of  the 
great  sacrifice,  of  which  all  others  were  typical,  the  veil 
was  rent,  and  the  way  into  the  holiest  of  all  was  made 
manifest.  The  priests  in  the  temple  and  at  the  altar, 
the  Levites  beyond  the  altar,  and  the  Jews  in  the  sur- 
rounding court,  might  all,  without  exception,  "  draw 
nigh  unto  God."  The  middle  wall  of  partition  also 
was  broken  down,  so  that  the  occupants  of  the  great 
outer  court  might  enter,  and  Jew  and  Gentile  "  both 
have  access  by  one  Spirit  unto  the  Father."  Boldness 
of  personal  access  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ,  with  a  true 
heart  in  full  assurance  of  faith,  is  the  distinguishing 
gospel  privilege.  Between  the  individual  believer  and 
the  mercy-seat  in  the  heavens,  nothing  intervenes  but 
the  ministry  of  the  "  merciful  and  faithful  High  Priest" 
who  is  now  "  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us." 

The  ministry  of  priest  and  Levite,  while  it  was  rep- 
resentative in  its  character,  was  also  typical  of  the  rank 
and  privilege  that  should  be  enjoyed  under  the  gospel 
by  the  whole  body  of  believers.     The  believer  is  him- 


324  REPRESENTATIVE    WORSHIP    SUPERSEDED. 

self  a  priest.  He  has  a  dignity  both  sacerdotal  and 
"royal."  He  may  approach  the  King  of  kings.  He 
may  come  even  into  his  presence-chamber.  The  in- 
cense of  prayer,  and  the  sacrifice  of  praise,  he  may  of- 
fer without  human  intervention. 

As  he  acknowledges  no  ministry  standing  officially 
between  him  and  the  throne  of  grace  in  prayer,  so  he 
can  acknowledge  no  representative  class  interposed 
between  him  and  God  in  the  offering  of  praise.  Under 
the  gospel,  the  worship  of  God  by  substitutes,  either 
in  prayer  or  praise,  is  of  no  efficacy.  Exclusive  choir- 
singing  has  at  least  the  appearance  of  an  attempt  to 
worship  by  substitutes ;  and  is,  so  far,  an  offence 
against  the  letter  and  the  whole  spirit  of  the  New 
Testament.  And  in  whatever  light  it  may  be  viewed, 
it  is  as  contrary  to  the  genius  of  the  New  Testament 
as  congregational  singing  would  have  been  to  the  ritu- 
alism of  the  Old.  Accordingly,  we  find  that  the  pre- 
cepts of  the  New  Testament,  in  relation  to  psalmody, 
are  as  general  in  their  phraseology,  and  in  their  applica- 
tion, as  in  relation  to  any  other  subject  of  duty.  In 
the  epistles  to  the  Corinthians,  to  the  Ephesians,  to  Ihe 
Colossians,  to  the  Hebrews,  and  in  the  epistle  of  James, 
psalmody  is  made  the  subject  of  preceptive  remark. 
And  in  all  these  epistles  it  is  urged  upon  the  attention 
of  Christians,  as  such,  and  not  upon  any  particular 
class  of  Christians.  To  the  Ephesian  church,  Paul 
writes  :  "  Be  filled  with  the  Spirit ;  speaking  to  your- 
selves in  psalms,  and  hymns,  and  spiritual  songs,  sing- 
ing, and  making  melody  in  your  heart  to  the  Lord,  giv- 
ing thanks  always  for  all  things,  unto  God  and  the 
Father,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  To  the 
Colossians,  he  writes :  "  Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in 


APOSTOLIC   PRECEPTS.  325 

you  richly  in  all  wisdom  ;  teaching  and  admonishing 
one  another  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs, 
singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts,  to  the  Lord."  To  all 
the  Hebrew  Christians,  whether  they  belonged  originally 
to  the  tribe  of  Levi,  or  to  any  other  tribe,  whether  their 
ancestors  belonged  to  the  old  choir  establishment  of 
the  temple,  or  to  the  common  classes  of  the  people, 
the  exhortation  is  addressed:  "Let  us  offer  the  sacrifice 
of  praise  to  God  continually,  that  is,  the  fruit  of  our 
lips,  giving  thanks  to  his  name.  But  to  do  good,  and 
to  communicate,  forget  not :  for  with  such  sacrifices 
God  is  well  pleased."  To  the  "  twelve  tribes  scattered 
abroad,"  the  apostle  James  says :  "  Is  any  among  you 
afflicted  ?  let  him  pray.  Is  any  merry  ?  let  him  sing 
psalms."  How  widely  different  is  the  whole  tone  of 
these  exhortations  from  what  we  find  under  the  Leviti- 
cal  economy  :  "  And  David  spake  to  the  chief  of  the 
Levites,  to  appoint  their  brethren  to  be  the  singers." 

As  we  read  the  apostolic  precepts,  and  mark  the  con- 
nection in  which  they  are  found,  how  very  unnatural 
is  the  supposition,  that  they  were  intended,  not  for  the 
whole  body  of  the  churches  thus  addressed,  but  only 
for  a  few  individuals,  or  a  select  class.  They  occur  in 
such  a  context  as  at  once  to  refute  any  such  supposition. 
Does  the  duty  of  being  filled  w^ith  the  Spirit,  of  giving 
thanks  always  to  God,  of  receiving  the  word  of  Christ 
richly  into  the  heart,  of  teaching  and  admonishing,  of 
kindness  ajid  liberality,  belong  only  to  choirs  —  then 
the  duty  of  praising  God  in  psalmody  may  be  incum- 
bent only  upon  them.  The  range  of  obligation  is  as 
wide  in  one  case  as  in  the  other.  If  divine  precept 
is  an  acknowledged  basis  of  obligation,  and  if  the 
epistles  of  the  New  Testament  are  received  as  a  part 

28 


326  THE   DUTY   OF  PRAISE. 

of  the  great  repository  of  divine  instruction,  then  who 
can  deny  that  it  is  the  duty  of  professing  Christians 
generally,  to  participate  in  the  singing  of  psalms  and 
h^mns  and  spiritual  songs  in  their  public  assemblies, 
so  far  as  they  have  the  ability  to  do  so  ?  If  any  one, 
having  the  ability  to  sing,  or  to  acquire  the  art  of  sing- 
ing, tries  to  excuse  himself,  and  to  justify  exclusive 
choir-singing  in  the  public  worship  of  God,  does  he 
not  do  this  in  the  face  of  apostolic  precept  ?  And 
might  he  not  almost  attempt  to  absolve  the  great 
body  of  the  church  from  the  duty  to  "  pray  without 
ceasing,"  and  affirm  that  this  duty  may  be  sufficiently 
performed  by  a  praying  few  in  each  congregation  act- 
ing as  representatives  of  the  whole  ?  The  New  Testa- 
ment being  our  guide,  the  duty  of  praise  can  no  more 
be  performed  by  proxy  than  the  duty  of  prayer.  Both 
can  be  performed  in  this  way  under  a  levitical  system, 
or  under  a  papal  system  ;  but  official  religion,  and  sub- 
stituted worship,  are  neither  Protestant  nor  Christian. 
Revelation  is  progressive  ;  and  it  has  pleased  God  to 
show  unto  us,  in  these  latter  times,  a  more  excellent 
way  than  that  which  he  permitted  to  obtain  three 
thousand  years  ago.  Happy  would  it  be  for  that  por- 
tion of  Christendom  which  professes  to  see  the  light 
of  this  progressive  revelation,  and  to  walk  in  it,  if  it 
would  no  longer  adhere  to  that  feature  of  the  ancient 
ritual  and  of  a  twilight  economy,  which,  eighteen  hun- 
dred years  ago,  decayed  and  waxed  old,  and^  for  a  time 
at  least,  vanished  away.  To  the  law  and  to  the  testi- 
mony! As  in  the  time  of  King  Josiah,  the  discovery 
of  the  long  lost  book  of  the  law,  by  the  high-priest 
Hilkiah,  led  to  deep  repentance  and  reformation,  so 
may  the  New  Testament  show  us  our  sins  in  relation 


AN   OBJECTION   ANSWERED.  327 

to  psalmody  ;  and  may  its  inspired  teachings  upon  this 
subject,  which  seem  to  have  been  overlooked  by  us  for 
a  century  and  a  half,  become  a  light  to  our  feet,  while 
we  endeavor  to  retrace  our  steps. 

We  are  aware  that  it  may  be  said,  in  reply  to  the  re- 
marks just  made,  that  no  one  pretends  that  we  can 
worship  by  substitutes,  or  that  praise  by  a  choir  is  ac- 
cepted for  the  congregation  any  further  than  the  con- 
gregation unite  in  spirit  with  the  choir.  And  it  may 
be  asked.  Why  is  it  not  enough  to  unite  in  spirit  with 
the  singing,  as  well  as  to  unite  in  spirit  with  the 
prayer  ?  This  inquiry  is  to  be  answered  by  referring 
to  what  has  been  already  said  upon  the  nature  of  the 
service  of  praise,  as  admitting  a  general  participation 
with  the  voice.  It  allows  this,  not  only  without  injury, 
to  the  best  effect  of  the  service,  but  with  such  immense 
advantage,  that  the  concurrence  of  a  large  number  of 
voices  becomes  its  very  life  and  soul.  This  cannot  be 
said  at  all  of  extemporaneous  prayer,  for  "  God  is  not 
the  author  of  confusion,  but  of  peace  ;"  and  it  would 
be  true  only  to  a  very  limited  extent,  of  written  prayer. 
The  rule,  "  Let  all  things  be  done  unto  edifying,"  is  a 
safe  guide. 

§  8.   Singing  Habits  of  the  Early  Christians. 

Those  who  lived  so  near  the  time  of  the  Apostles 
as  the  Christians  of  4he  first  three  centuries,  may  be 
supposed  to  have  rightly  understood  the  precepts  of 
the  New  Testament,  and  to  have  imbibed,  almost  from 
the  lips  and  lives  of  those  devoted  men,  the  distinctive 
spirit  of  the  gospel.  And,  what  is  still  more  than  to  be 
chronologically  near   them,  they  were   near   them   in 


328  JOYOUS   NATURE    OF   EARLY   FAITH. 

sympathy.  The  type  of  their  piety  was  very  similar  to 
that  of  the  Apostles.  It  took  its  shape  in  the  apos- 
tolic mould.  The  rays  of  divine  instruction,  therefore, 
as  they  passed  from  the  inspired  sources  into  these 
congenial  minds,  encountered  no  refracting  medium 
of  hostile  prejudice  or  dead  indifference. 

What,  now,  was  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  as  it  existed 
in  the  experience  of  believers  in  the  apostolic  age  ? 
It  was  preeminently  a  glad  and  joyous  spirit.  They 
had  received  by  faith  a  gospel,  which  brought  them 
glad  tidings  of  great  joy,  and  their  daily  walk  was  in 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  and  in  the  comforts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  A  natural,  and,  with  them,  the  habitual^  expres- 
sion of  this  joy  was  praise.  No  sooner  was  the  Lord 
parted  from  his  disciples  and  carried  up  to  heaven, 
than  they  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  great  joy,  and 
'*  were  continually  in  the  temple,  praising  and  blessing 
God."  Praise  was  a  part  of  the  daily  expression  of 
that  Pentecostal  gladness  with  which  thousands  of  new 
converts  at  Jerusalem  received  the  first  great  outpour- 
ing of  the  Spirit.  "  And  they  did  eat  their  meat  with 
gladness  and  singleness  of  heart,  praising  God."  At 
midnight,  in  the  inner  prison  at  Philippi,  two  prisoners, 
with  their  feet  fast  in  the  stocks,  were  overheard  pray- 
ing, and  singing  praises  to  God.  The  peace  which 
passeth  all  understanding  kept  their  hearts,  and  one 
who  never  sleeps,  and  who  had  promised  never  to  for- 
sake them,  was  near.  Both  they.and  their  companions 
in  the  faith  were  often  in  tribulation ;  but  as  the  suffer- 
ings of  Christ  abounded  in  them,  so  their  consolation 
also  abounded  by  Christ.  They  knew  how  to  be 
abased,  and  how  to  abound ;  how  to  be  full,  and  how 
to   be    hungry ;    and   in  whatsoever   state   they  were, 


JOT   EXPRESSED   BY   PRAISE.  329 

therewith  fb  be  content.  Whether  they  were  in  favor 
with  all  the  people,  or  were  led  forth  to  prison  and  to 
death,  they  went  out  with  joy,  and  were  led  forth  with 
peace.  They  knew  not  what  a  day  would  bring  forth ; 
but  they  were  careful  for  nothing,  casting  all  their  care 
on  him  who  cared  for  them. 

Blessed  be  God  I  the  joy  which  prison-walls,  and 
chains,  and  midnight  darkness  could  not  extinguish, 
was  not  confined  to  the  apostolic  age.  The  history 
of  Christianity,  down  to  the  time  of  Constantine,  pre- 
sents the  great  body  of  believers  as  being  pervaded,  to 
an  extent  never  since  realized,  with  the  spirit  of  religi- 
ous joy  expressed  by  praise.  The  living  spring  of  glad- 
ness which  had  been  opened  in  their  hearts,  poured 
itself  forth  in  exuberant,  never-failing  streams  of  sa- 
cred melody.  It  sent  these  streams  winding  and  purl- 
ing along  all  the  paths  of  life,  making  them,  like  the 
garden  of  the  Lord,  a  perpetual  delight.  In  their  social 
gatherings,  in  their  homes,  and  in  their  daily  private 
walks,  the  early  Christians  lived  and  moved  in  an  at- 
mosphere of  praise.  Generally,  no  season  of  household 
worship  was  without  it.  The  reading  of  the  Scriptures, 
prayer,  and  sacred  song,  besides  opening  and  closing  the 
active  labors  of  the  day,  accompanied  their  ordinary 
meals.  Through  a  portion,  at  least,  of  the  period  which 
we  are  now  contemplating,  the  notes  of  tuneful  worship 
might  have  been  heard  ascending  from  their  happy 
dwellings  four  times  in  a  day.  And  there  were  those 
who,  like  the  psalmist,  rose  at  midnight  to  give  thanks ; 
a  custom  which  is  said  to  have  originated  in  those  per- 
secuting days  in  which  Christian  assemblies  were  com- 
pelled to  seek  the  cover  of  night  for  safety.  "  Songs 
dedicated    to    the    praise    of    God,"    says    Jamieson, 

28* 


330  AN   ATMOSPHERE   OF   PRAISE. 

"  formed   their   pastime  in   private,  and  thmr  favorite 
recreations   at    their    family    and    friendly    meetings." 
When  the  family  group  dispersed  from  the  loved  house- 
hold altar,  each  to  his  daily  occupation,  their  songs  still 
cheered  them  in  their  toils.     Jerome,  writing  from  the 
rural  retirement  which  he  had  sought  as  a  "  peaceful 
port"  after  a  stormy  life,  says:  "Here,  rustic  though 
we  are,  we  are  all  Christians.     Psalms  alone  break  the 
pervading  stillness.     The  ploughman  is  singing  halle- 
lujahs while  he  turns  his  furrow.     The  reaper  solaces 
his    toil   with   hymns.      The   vineyard-dresser,   as    he 
prunes  his  vines,  chants  something  from  the  strains  of 
David.     These  are  our  songs,  and  such  the  notes  with 
which  onr  love  is  vocal."     He  might  have  added,  that 
hymns  were  the  solace  of  the  mourner;  for  the   Chris- 
tians of  that  day  did  not  cease  their  singing  in  their 
funeral  processions,  or  around  the  graves  of  their  de- 
ceased friends.     And  as  they  did  not  sorrow  for  those 
that  were  asleep,  as  others  that  had  no  hope,  these  fu- 
neral anthems  were  always  joyous,  never  sad.     Pains 
were  taken  to  have  their  children  sing  ;   not  merely  or 
mainly  that  they  might  acquire  a  pleasing  art,  but  that 
by  means  of  it  the  great  theme  of  Redemption,  which 
was  ever  the  burden  of  their  songp,  might  find  an  early 
welcome  in  their  hearts.     Melodious  speech,  from  hour 
to  hour,  concerning  Jesus  and  salvation  by  him,  drop- 
ped like  the  rain,  and  distilled  like  the  dew,  upon  the 
tender  buds  of  thought  and  feeling  in  the  household, 
until  they  became  trees  of  righteousness,  the  planting 
of  the  Lord.  ^ 

To  suppose  that  this  passionate  love  of  song  was 
completely  suppressed  in  their  public  assemblies,  and 
that,  singing  as  they  were  all  their  lives,  in  their  homes. 


EARLY   CHRISTIAN   ASSEMBLIES.  331 

and  at  their  toils,  they  could  stifle  this  breath  of  praise 
when  met  together  expressly  for  the  public  and  united 
worship  of  their  Redeemer,  would  be  contrary  to 
reason.  To  have  sat  in  silence  while  a  deputed  frac- 
tion of  their  number,  a  handful  of  singers,  were  utter- 
ing sentiments  which  were  burning  for  expression  in 
every  bosom,  must  have  seemed  to  them  an  occasion 
for  the  stones  immediately  to  cry  out.  The  choir 
would  no  sooner  have  struck  the  psalm,  than  it  would 
have  broken  from  every  lip  in  the  congregation.  Its 
opening  upon  them,  by  a  few  leading  voices,  would 
have  been  like  cutting  away  the  sluice  in  a  dam.  The 
only  protection  against  the  gush  of  a  general  inun- 
dation of  praise,  would  have  been  to  exclude  singing 
altogether  from  their  worship. 

Agreeing  with  this  most  natural  supposition  in  re- 
gard to  the  mode  of  public  praise  in  the  primitive 
church,  is  the  ample  testimony  of  several  of  the  early 
Fathers.  "  It  was  the  ancient  custom,  and  it  still  is 
with  us,"  said  Chrysostom,  about  the  close  of  the  fourth 
century,  "  for  all  to  come  together  and  unitedly  join  in 
the  singing.  The  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor,  male 
and  female,  bond  and  free,  all  join  in  one  song.  .  .  .  All 
worldly  distinctions  here  cease,  and  the  whole  congrega- 
tion form  one  general  chorus."  The  contemporaneous 
testimony  of  Augustine,  and  of  Hilary,  a  little  earlier, 
is  to  the  same  effect.  A  Father  in  the  church,  writing  in 
the  third  century,  informs  us  that  "  men,  women,  youths 
of  both  sexes,  and  even  children,  joined  in  the  psalm- 
ody of  the  churches."  And  in  describing  the  effect  of 
their  singing,  he  compares  their  loud  and  harmonious 
voices  to  the  sound  of  waves  beating  against  the  sea- 
shore.   "  Their  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,"  says 


332  THE  lord's  supper. 

Coleman,  "besides  being  begun  and  concluded  with 
some  solemn  form  of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  in  which 
the  whole  body  of  the  communicants  joined,  was  with 
the  singing  of  psalms  during  the  distribution'''  Another 
writer  remarks,  that  "  the  early  Christians  spent  whole 
days  and  nights  almost,  in  psalmody."  And  he  adds, 
that  from  the  apostolic  age,  for  several  centuries,  the 
whole  body  of  the  church  united  in  the  singing. 

This  being  the  universal  custom,  it  was  very  natural 
that  the  Book  of  Psalms  should  be  regarded,  not  as  a 
book  to  be  read  through,  like  the  law  and  the  prophets, 
but  as  a  collection  of  songs  to  be  sung.  As  such,  they 
were  uniformly  regarded.  They  probably  were  never 
read  in  public,  and  the  only  use  made  of  them  was  to 
sing  them.  When  we  consider  what  a  favorite  portion 
of  the  Bible  the  Psalms  have  always  been,  and  how 
much  oftener  they  are  now  read,  probably,  than  any 
other  portion,  —  "  a  little  Bible  in  themselves,"  as  Lu- 
ther called  them,  —  we  cannot  wonder  that,  in  a  com- 
munity where  they  were  never  used  but  to  be  sung,  they 
should  be  sung  frequently,  and  sung  by  all,  and  that  in 
the  use  of  them,  "  young  men  and  maidens,  old  men 
and  children,  should  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

§  9.    The  Mode  of  Song  adojoted  by  the  Reformers. 

The  Reformation  consisted  in  a  rejection  of  the  false 
doctrines  and  corrupt  usages  of  the  Romish  church, 
and  a  return  to  the  Bible  as  the  only  sufficient  rule  of 
religious  faith  and  practice.  The  reformers  received 
the  Bible  as  their  guide  in  regard  to  psalmody,  as  well 
as  in  regard  toother  things.  Congregational  singing,  as 
introduced  and  practised  by  them,  is  referred  to  here. 


THE  MEDIEVAL  PERIOD.  333 

not  merely  as  furnishing  a  successful  historical  ex- 
ample of  this  mode  of  praise,  but  chiefly  as  showing 
how  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  upon  this  subject  were 
understood  by  men  whose  reverence  for  it  was  so  pro- 
found. 

Exclusive  choir-singing  was  one  of  the  abuses  which 
crept  into  the  Romish  church,  in  connection  wath  its 
gradually  declining  piety,  in  the  centuries  succeeding 
the  third.  The  change  from  the  primitive  method  was 
gradual.  It  commenced  in  the  fourth  century,  at  w^hich 
time  the  choir  was  not  expected  to  monopolize  the 
singing,  but  only  to  lead  it.  This,  however,  gave  them 
the  opportunity  of  introducing  a  style  of  music,  not 
only  unfit  for  the  church  on  account  of  its  theatrical 
associations,  but  unfit  for  the  use  of  the  congregation 
on  account  of  its  intricacy.  The  introduction  of  tunes 
too  difficult  for  any  but  trained  singers  to  execute,  was 
the  first  step  towards  debarring  the  people  from  their 
ancient  privilege  of  praise.  They  might  still  unite  in 
some  simple  chorus  or  response,  but  this  w^as  rather  by 
privilege  than  by  right.  Even  this  privilege  was  at 
length  denied  them,  and  they  were  taught  that  the 
singing  of  God's  praise  was  too  sacred  a  duty  for  the 
lips  of  the  laity,  and  belonged  to  the  clergy  alone.  And 
the  clergy,  to  make  their  monopoly  of  the  singing  still 
more  exclusive,  sang  only  in  Latin.  By  the  sixth  or 
seventh  century  the  voices  of  the  people  were  effectually 
silenced,  and  for  nearly  a  thousand  years  God  was  no 
longer  praised  as  at  the  first.  But  this  long  night  of 
darkness  and  silence  slowly  rolled  away,  and  the  light 
of  returning  day  in  Germany  was  ushered  in  with  song. 
Its  approach  had  been  heralded  by  song,  a  century  be- 
fore this,  in  Bohemia,  in  the  time  of  John  Huss  and 


334  LUTHER   AS   A   COMPOSER. 

Jerome ;  and  even  in  the  fourteenth  century,  while 
"  the  Morning  Star  of  the  Reformation"  was  still  visi- 
ble, praise  broke  the  silence  of  the  waning  watches  in 
England.  As  in  the  mornings  of  the  long  days  in 
summer,  a  few  woodland  notes  may  be  heard  here  and 
there  in  the  groves  in  advance  of  the  general  chorus 
which  hails  the  day,  so  there  were  voices  before  Lu- 
ther, both  in  England  and  on  the  continent,  which  an- 
ticipated the  melodies  of  his  time.  But  when  the  em- 
pire of  the  night  was  fairly  broken,  and  this  great  chor- 
ister of  the  Reformation  arose,  he  awoke  the  whole 
forest  into  harmony. 

One  of  the  first  efforts  of  Luther  in  fulfilment  of  the 
great  mission  of  his  life,  was  to  publish  a  psalm-book. 
Both  hymns  and  tunes  were  composed  mainly  by  him- 
self. About  sixty  hymns  were  written  by  him,  at  a 
time  when  the  history  of  fifteen  centuries  could  not 
furnish  more  than  two  hundred  hymns  that  had  been 
used  in  Christian  congregations.  In  this  great  under- 
taking he  had  a  twofold  object :  first,  to  restore  to  the 
people  their  ancient  and  long-lost  New  Testament 
right  to  the  use  of  psalms  in  public  worship  in  their 
own  tongue ;  and  secondly,  by  the  graces  of  verse,  and 
the  charms  of  melody,  to  lodge  the  word  of  God  effec- 
tually in  their  memory.  He  took  care  to  embody  in 
his  verse  the  great  foundation  truths  of  the  Bible,  that, 
being  sung  over  and  over  by  the  people,  they  might 
never  be  forgotten.  This  object  he  announced  in  a  let- 
ter to  Spalatin,  written  in  1524,  in  which  he  says  :  *'  It 
is  my  purpose  after  the  example  of  the  ancient  Fathers 
of  the  church,  to  make  psalms  or  spiritual  songs  for 
the  common  people,  that  the  word  of  God  may  dwell 
among  them  in  psalms,  if  not  otherwise.   We  are  look- 


PSALMS   FOR   THE   PEOPLE.  335 

ing  around  everywhere  for  poets,  I  entreat  you  to 
help  us.  I  would  that  new  and  courtly  words  might 
be  avoided,  and  -that  the  language  be  all  suited  to  the 
capacity  of  the  people,  as  simple  as  possible."  So 
successful  was  Luther  in  this  endeavor,  that  priestly 
influence  might  in  vain  have  attempted  to  check  the 
progress  of  the  Reformation  by  destroying  the  Bible. 
Its  doctrines  were  the  soul  of  his  songs,  and  the  songs 
were  embalmed  in  the  people's  memory. 

In  providing  these  simple  psalms  for  the  common 
people,  Luther  had  his  mind  also  upon  the  children. 
"  I  desire,"  he  says,  "  that  the  young  who  ought  to  be 
educated  in  music  as  w^ell  as  in  other  good  arts,  may 
have  something  to  take  the  place  of  worldly  and  amor- 
ous songs,  and  so  learn  something  useful,  and  practise 
something  virtuous.  I  would  gladly  see  all  the  arts, 
and  especially  music,  employed  in  the  service  of  Him 
who  hath  created  them  and  given  them  to  man.  Alas  ! 
all  the  world  is  too  negligent  and  forgetful  to  educate 
and  teach  the  poor  youth."  "  In  the  schools  founded 
on  the  plan  of  Luther  and  Melancthon,  nearly  one 
fourth  part  of  the  school  hours  were  devoted  to  music." 

As  a  result  of  such  efforts  as  these,  psalms  became 
the  ballads  of  the  people.  They  were  sung  everywhere. 
The  singing  habits  of  the  early  days  of  Christianity 
were  fairly  revived.  "  The  hymns  spread  among  all 
classes  of  people,  and  were  sung  not  only  in  the 
churches  and  schools,  but  also  in  the  houses  and  in  the 
workshops,  in  the  streets  and  in  the  market-places,  in 
the  barns  and  in  the  fields."  Wherever  the  principles 
of  the  Reformation  were  received,  whether  in  Germany, 
France,  or  Britain,  psalm-singing  was  an  almost  uni- 
versal practice.     This  was  the  blossom  which  the  root 


836         PSALMODY  AN  AGENCY  IN  THE  REFORMATION. 

of  the  new  doctrines  invariably  produced.  So  conta- 
gious was  this  practice,  and  so  wonderful  the  power 
of  Luther's  psalms  in  propagating  his  doctrines,  that 
his  enemies  were  obliged  to  adopt  the  same  practice  in 
self-defence.  "  The  Papists,  finding  that  the  people 
would  sing  them,  and  were  almost  running  wild  with 
delight  in  so  doing,  published  hymn-books  of  their 
own,  in  which,  with  slight  alterations,  they  incorpo- 
rated almost  all  of  the  Reformer's  pieces."  The  hymns 
found  their  way  even  into  the  French  court;  but  they 
contained  seeds  of  ^truth  which  it  was  not  for  the  inter- 
est of  the  Romish  church  to  have  planted,  and  about 
the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  all  Papists  were 
prohibited  from  singing  them.  From  that  time,  the 
name  " psalmodist,"  or  "psalm-singer,"  was  applied  to 
the  Protestants,  in  derision.  It  became  synonymous 
with  Reformer,  Huguenot,  Calvinist,  Heretic. 
'  "  Next  to  theology,"  said  Luther,  "  it  is  to  music  that 
I  give  the  highest  place  and  the  greatest  honor."  He 
had  reason  to  say  this,  for  it  was  music  next  to  theol- 
ogy, and  sometimes  more  than  theology,  that  gave 
success  to  his  cause.  "  In  the  city  of  Hanover,  the 
Reformation  was  introduced,  not  by  preachers,  nor  by 
religious  tracts,  but  by  the  hymns  of  Luther,  which  the 
people  sung  with  delight."  A  Protestant  contemporary 
of  Luther  says :  "  I  doubt  not  that  the  one  little  hymn 
*  Now  rejoice,  dear  Christians,  all '  (the  first  one  that 
Luther  published),  has  brought  many  hundred  Chris- 
tians to  the  faith.  .  .  .  The  noble,  sweet  language  of  that 
one  little  song  has  won  their  hearts,  so  that  they  could 
not  resist  the  truth ;  and,  in  my  opinion,  the  spiritual 
songs  have  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  spread  of  the 
gospel." 


A   SUCCESS    ABAXDONED.  337 

The  views  of  Luther  and  the  English  Reformers,  in 
regard  to  congregational  singing,  were  a  little  different 
from  those  of  Calvin  and  Knox.  The  latter  would 
have  no  other  singing  than  that  of  the  congregation. 
The  former  made  provision  for  a  choir  service  besides. 
Luther's  accomplished  skill  in  music,  and  his  enthu- 
siastic love  of  it,  may  account  in  part  for  the  difference, 
the  songs  for  the  people  "being  of  necessity  extremely 
simple.  But  all  the  reformers,  German,  Swiss,  English, 
and  Scotch,  were  equally  zealous  that  the  people  should 
consider  praise  as  appropriately  and  pecuWarW  their  pa li, 
in  the  services  of  the  sanctuary.  ^Vith  great  effort  did 
they  achieve  for  the  people  this  "  freedom  to  worship 
God."  And  now,  the  ads'ocates  of  exclusive  choir-sing- 
ing in  America  are  surrendering  again,  to  Popery,  the 
very  territory  which  was  acquired  in  the  battles  of  the 
Reformation.  They  willingly  relinquish  to  the  Man 
of  Sin  a  stronghold  captured  by  the  sturdy  valor  of 
such  men  as  Luther  and  Calvin  and  John  Knox,  and 
are  content  that  the  praise  of  God  should  be  sung  in 
Protestant  churches  in  the  popish  manner. 

§  10.   Congregational  Psalmody  in  its  Moral  and  Re- 
Ug-ious  Influence. 

The  refining'  influence  of  sacred  music  is  everywhere 
acknowledged.  "  The  young  should  be  constantly  ex- 
ercised in  this  art,"  said  Luther,  "for  it  refines  and 
im proves  men."  It  is  well  known  that  the  Prussian 
schools  are  always  opened  and  closed  with  religious 
exercises,  of  which  the  singing  of  hymns  forms  a  part. 
Teachers  in  those  schools,  say  that  they  regard  the 
singing  as  the  most  efficient  means  of  bringing  a  scholar 

29 


388  ELEVATING  INFLUENCE  OP  MUSIC. 

under  a  perfect  discipline  by  moral  influence ;  and  that, 
in  the  case  of  vicious  youth,  the  reading  of  the  Bible 
and  the  singing  of  religious  hymns  are  among  the  most 
efficient  instruments  employed  for  softening  the  hard- 
ened heart,  and  bringing  the  stubborn  will  to  docility. 
"  There  is  in  music,"  says  Melvill,  '''•di  humanizing  power. 
The  poor,  taught  to  sing,  are  likely  to  be  less  wild,  less 
prone  to  disorder,  and  therefore  more  accessible  to  the 
ministrations  of  religion.  I  thoroughly  believe  that  in 
improving  the  tastes  of  a  people,  you  are  doing  much 
for  their  moral  advancement.  I  like  to  see  our  cot- 
tagers encouraged  to  train  the  rose  and  the  honey- 
suckle round  their  doors,  and  our  weavers,  as  is  often 
the  fact,  dividing  their  attention  between  their  looms 
and  carnations ;  for  the  man  who  can  take  care  of  a 
flower,  and  who  is  all  alive  to  its  beauty,  is  far  less 
likely  than  another,  who  has  no  delight  in  such  recrea- 
tions, to  give  himself  up  to  gross  lusts  and  habits." 

Of  the  refresliing  and  sustaining  influence  of  sacred 
music,  no  better  illustration  can  be  given  than  is  found 
in  the  experience  of  Luther.  It  is  said  of  him,  that  so 
soon  as  he  heard  good  music  his  temptations  and  his 
gloom  flew  away.  So  he  said :  "  The  devil  specially 
hates  good  music,  because  thereby  men  are  made  joy- 
ful ;  for  he  loveth  nothing  better  than  to  make  men 
unbelieving  and  cowardly  by  means  of  melancholy  and 
gloominess."  "  Music  is  the  best  soother  of  a  troubled 
man  whereby  his  heart  is  again  quickened,  refreshed, 
and  made  contented.  It  gives  a  quiet  and  joyful  mind. 
My  affection  overflows  and  gushes  out  toward  it,  so 
often  has  it  refreshed  me  and  relieved  me  from  great 
sorrows."  "  One  day  when  some  fine  music  was  per- 
forming," says  D'Aubigne,  "  he  exclaimed,  in  transport: 


PRAISE  IN   SEASONS   OF  TRIAL.  339 

<  If  our  Lord  God  has  shed  forth  such  wondrous  gifts 
on  this  earth,  which  is  no  better  than  a  dark  nook,  what 
may  we  not  expect  in  that  eternal  life  in  which  we  shall 
be  perfected  I'"  II  is  related  of  him,  that,  in  times  of 
discouragement,  he  was  wont  to  arouse  himself  from 
desponding  thoughts  by  saying  to  his  friends  :  "  Come, 
let  us  sing  the  forty-sixth  psalm,  '  God  is  our  refuge 
and  strength,'  or  the  one  hundred  and  thirtieth  psalm, 
*  Let  Israel  hope  in  the  Lord.' "  In  this  method  he 
was  accustomed  to  chide  himself  for  his  depression, 
and  to  say,  as  the  Psalmist  did,  "  Why  art  thou  cast 
down,  O  my  soul,  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  within 
me?" 

We  can  but  remember,  in  this  connection,  the  singing 
of  the  Saviour  with  his  disciples,  just  before  he  entered 
the  garden  of  suffering.  The  power  of  darkness  was 
about  to  exercise  the  fulness  of  its  rage  against  him. 
He  stood,  as  it  were,  in  full  view  of  his  agony.  It  was 
hardly  a  time,  we  should  suppose,  for  singing ;  and  if 
singing  were  indulged,  we  should  expect  only  strains 
of  sorrow.  But  let  us  listen  to  the  anthem  which  he 
sings :  "  The  Lord  is  my  strength  and  song,  and  is  be- 
come my  salvation.  The  voice  of  rejoicing  and  salva- 
tion is  in  the  tabernacles  of  the  righteous.  Oh,  praise 
the  Lord  all  ye  nations  :  praise  him  all  ye  people.  For 
his  merciful  kindness  is  great  toward  us  :  and  the  truth 
of  the  Lord  endureth  forever." 

And  this  cheerful  language  is  not  merely  spoken,  it  is 
sung.  Was  it  inappropriate  ?  Were  these  reflections 
upon  the  goodness  of  God,  uttered  in  the  gladdening 
strains  of  music,  unsuitable  at  such  a  time  ?  Were 
they  not  the  best  possible  preparation  for  the  scene  of 
sorrow  which  was  then  at  the  door  ?     Did  they  not  help 


340  INVIGORATING   INFLUENCE   OF   PRAISE. 

to  arm  the  Saviour's  soul  for  the  fiery  conflict  on  which 
he  was  about  to  enter?  Were  they  not  the  casting 
anew  his  anchor  of  hope  and  trust  within  the  vail,  the 
renewed  planting  of  his  foot  of  confidence  on  the  ever- 
lasting rock?  The  sentiment  of  confidence  in  God  is 
what  we  need  to  cherish,  when  descending  the  valley 
of  suffering,  if  ever.  Then,  if  ever,  we  need  that  the 
loins  of  our  faith  should  be  girded  with  it.  Then,  if 
ever,  we  need  to  hide  ourselves  in  the  secret  place  of 
his  pavilion,  to  feel  that  the  eternal  God  is  our  refuge, 
and  that  underneath  are  the  everlasting  arms.  And 
how,  at  such  times,  can  we  better  put  in  exercise  this 
holy  confidence,  than  by  praising  Him  in  those  cheerful 
songs  which  enliven  the  soul,  while  they  direct  aright 
its  meditations  ? 

We  are  in  danger,  in  the  time  of  trouble,  of  coming 
to  God  with  nothing  but  supplication.  We  forget  his 
goodness  and  mercy,  and  omit  to  thank  and  praise  him. 
And  in  our  prayers,  our  minds  are  so  much  occupied 
w^ith  the  thought  of  our  distresses,  that  we  speak  to  him 
of  almost  nothing  else.  We  nourish  our  disquietudes 
by  brooding  over  them,  even  at  the  throne  of  grace, 
until  our  prayer  betrays  our  secret  anxiety  and  discon- 
tent. It  is  true  that  God  is  a  Father  who  pities  his 
children,  and  permits,  yea,  invites  them  to  pour  out 
their  heart  before  him.  When  they  cry  to  him  out  of 
the  depths  for  help,  he  hears  them.  But  to  make  what 
we  suffer  the  only  topic  of  our  communion  with  him, 
in  the  hope  of  thereby  obtaining  relief,  is  both  unphilo- 
sophical  and  unscriptural.  "  Be  careful  for  nothing," 
is  the  inspired  direction,  "  but  in  everything,  by  prayer 
and  supplication  with  thanksgiving^  let  your  requests  be 
made  known  unto  God."     If,  in  seasons  of  darkness, 


DUTY  AND   REWARDS   OF  THANKSGIVING.  341 

praise  antl  thanksgiving  were  more  largely  mingled 
with  our  prayers,  we  should  more  honor  God,  and  we 
should  obtain  his  promised  help.  "  Offer  unto  God 
thanksgiving,"  says  the  Psalmist  Asaph,  "  and  (thus) 
pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most  High  :  then  call  upon  me 
in  the  day  of  trouble  :  I  will  deliver  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
glorify  me."  More  praise  would  lead  to  a  better  spirit 
in  prayer ;  to  more  faith,  and  less  complaint ;  and  this 
would  make  our  prayers  more  effectual.  If  the  captive 
Jews  had  continued  singing  the  Lord's  songs  in  the 
"strange  land"  to  which  they  were  led,  instead  of 
yielding  to  immoderate  grief,  they  would  sooner  have 
had  a  heart  to  pray  for  deliverance.  We  need  to  learn 
how  to  cast  our  burden  on  the  Lord,  by  trusting  in  him. 
We  need  to  encourage  our  faith  by  remembering  his 
former  benefits,  how  we  sought  him  in  time  past,  and 
he  heard  us,  and  delivered  us  from  all  our  fears ;  how 
this  poor  man  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  the  I^ord  heard 
him,  and  saved  him  out  of  all  his  troubles.  We  are 
never  at  liberty,  because  of  trouble,  to  hang  our  harps 
upon  the  willows,  and  cease  praising  God.  We  are 
never  in  so  great  adversity,  that  we  may  be  excused 
from  remembering  and  acknowledging  the  years  of  the 
right  hand  of  the  Most  High.  We  sinfully  defraud 
our  great  Benefactor  of  his  due,  when  we  cherish  such 
a  spirit  as  disqualifies  us  for  praise.  For,  whatever  be 
our  sorrows,  it  is  always  true  that  "  God's  merciful 
kindness  is  great  toward  us,  and  the  truth  of  the  Lord 
endureth  forever." 

We  have  already  seen  the  value  of  psalmody  as  a 
working  power  in  the  hands  of  the  reformers.  It  was 
used  in  a  similar  way,  with  effect,  by  Felix  Neff,  in  his 
labors  among  the  high  Alps  in  the  south-east  of  France, 

29* 


342  CHRYSOSTOM  —  AUGUSTINE. 

and  by  Eliot,  in  his  labors  among  the  native  tribes  of 
New  England.  With  these  men  it  was  an  instrument 
for  propagating  their  faith.  But,  distinct  from  this,  it 
exerts  a  quickening  influence  upon  the  religious  affections, 
of  which  no  body  of  Christians  should  be  willingly  de- 
prived. This  is  preeminently  true  of  congregational 
psalmody.  It  is  this  form  of  singing  that  has  always 
elicited  the  strongest  expressions  in  regard  to  its  power 
over  Christian  hearts.  "  Nothing,"  says  Chrysostom, 
"  so  lifteth  up,  and  as  it  were  wingeth  the  soul,  so  freeth 
it  from  earth,  and  looseth  it  from  the  chains  of  the  body, 
so  leadeth  it  unto  wisdom  and  a  contempt  of  all  earthly 
things"  as  this. 

Augustine,  in  his  Confessions,  speaks  with  great 
warmth  of  the  power  of  the  music  over  him  on  the 
occasion  of  his  baptism.  He  says :  "  Oh !  how  freely 
was  I  made  to  weep  by  these  hymns  and  spiritual 
songs ;  transported  by  the  voices  of  the  congregation 
sweetly  singing.  The  melody  of  their  voices  filled  my 
ear,  and  divine  truth  was  poured  into  my  heart.  Then 
burned  the  sacred  flame  of  devotion  in  my  soul,  and 
gushing  tears  flowed  from  ray  eyes,  as  well  they  might.". 

"  When  many  voices  join  heartily  in  praise,"  says 
Melvill,  "it  is  hardly  possible  to  remain  indifferent. 
Every  one  feels  this.  In  a  congregation  where  few 
attempt  to  sing,  how  difficult  it  is  to  magnify  the  Lord ! 
But  who  can  resist  the  rush  of  many  voices.?  whose 
bosom  does  not  swell,  as  old  and  young,  rich  and  poor, 
mingle  their  tones  of  adoration  and  thankfulness  ? 

"  You  may  tell  me  there  is  not  necessarily  any  religion 
in  all  this  emotion.  I  know  that;  and  I  would  not 
have  you  mistake  emotion  for  religion.  But  we  are 
creatures   so  constituted   as  to   be  acted   on   through 


MELVILL  —  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND.  843 

our  senses  and  feelings ;  and,  whilst  emotion  is  not 
religion,  it  will  often  be  a  great  step  towards  it.  The 
man  who  has  imbibed,  so  to  speak,  the  spirit  of  prayer 
and  of  praise  from  the  surrounding  assembly,  is  far 
more  likely  to  give  an  attentive  ear  to  the  preached 
word,  and  to  receive  from  it  a  lasting  impression,  than 
another,  whose  natural  coldness  has  been  increased  by 
that  of  the  mass  in  which  he  found  himself  placed.  In 
teaching,  therefore,  a  people  to  sing  with  the  voice  "  the 
songs  of  Zion,"  we  cannot  but  believe  that,  God  help- 
ing, much  is  done  toward  teaching  them  to  sing  with 
the  understanding  and  the  heart.  A  faculty  is  devel- 
oped, which  God  designed  for  his  glory,  but  which  has, 
comparatively,  been  allowed  to  remain  almost  useless. 
Yes,  a  faculty  which  God  designed  for  his  glory ;  and 
if  so  designed,  it  cannot  lie  idle  without  injury,  nor  be 
rightly  exercised  without  advantage.  And  I  seem  to 
learn  from  our  text  (Matt.  26  :  30),  that  it  is  not  enough 
that  we  praise  God  with  speech.  Christ  and  his  apos- 
tles '  sang  an  hymn.'  Nay,  there  is  music  in  heaven. 
Why,  then,  should  music  ever  be  out  of  place,  with 
those  whose  affections  are  above?" 

"  In  England  and  in  Scotland,"  says  John  Angel 
James,  "  at  least  among  non-conformists,  the  people 
would  think  themselves  almost  as  much  defrauded,  if 
they  were  denied  the  service  of  song  in  the  sanctuary,  \ 
as  they  would  do,  if  denied  the  sermon.  What,  for 
real  sublimity  and  acceptableness  to  God,  is  the  finest 
music  performed  by  hired  solos  or  the  most  effective 
choir,  compared  with  the  swell  of  hundreds  of  human 
voices,  pouring  forth  in  one  grand  diapason  the  rap- 
tures or  the  sorrows  of  hundreds  of  regenerated  hearts?" 

Rev.  Dr.  Raffles,  of  Liverpool,  in  a  letter  to  one  of 


344  LETTER   OF  DR.  RAFFLES. 

the  editors  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn  Book,  says :  "  How 
is  it  that  in  your  country  people  do  not  sing  in  the 
house  of  God  ;  but  leave  it  to  the  choir  to  sing  for 
them,  and  are  thus  content  to  perform  the  most  exhila- 
rating and  delightful  portion  of  public  worship  by 
proxy?  I  confess  I  have  often  been  astonished  at  this, 
and  have  deplored  that  loss  of  high  spiritual  enjoyment 
which  our  transatlantic  brethren  are  willing,  by  reason 
of  such  a  practice,  to  suffer.  How  beautiful,  and  true 
as  well  as  beautiful,  the  jubilant  exclamation  of  our 
own  great  hymnologist.  Watts : 

'  Lord,  how  delightful  't  is  to  see 
A  whole  assembly  worship  thee  ; 
~At  once  they  sing,  at  once  they  pray ; 
They  hear  of  heaven  and  learn  the  way. 
I  have  been  there  and  still  would  go, 
*T  is  like  a  little  heaven  below." 

"  But  one  half  of  that  '  little  heaven  below '  is  lost  to 
those  who  leave  all  the  singing  to  the  choir,  and  instead 
of  themselves  taking  each  his  part  in  the  offering  of 
praise,  merely  listen  to  those  who  are  appointed  (and 
perhaps  paid)  to  do  it  for  them.  For  my  part,  I  won- 
der, when  some  of  the  glorious  hymns  contained  in  your 
book  are  sung  by  the  functionaries  in  the  orchestra  or 
singing-seats,  how  the  people  in  the  pews  can  hold 
their  peace !  I  fear  that  if  I  were  one  of  them,  I  should 
disturb  and  astonish  the  congregation,  for  I  am  sure  I 
could  not  keep  silence." 

We  need  not  add  anything  upon  this  topic,  except  to 
say,  that  wherever,  even  in  our  own  country,  congrega- 
tional singing  has  prevailed,  and  the  proper  means  have 
been  used  to  give  it  success,  testimony  similar  to  what 


DIRECT   ANSWERS   TO   PRAISE.  345 

has  just  been  cited,  is  not  wanting.  Among  unpreju- 
diced and  devout  Christians,  we  believe  the  feeling  is 
general,  that  it  is  the  singing  of  the  congregation, 
above  all  other,  that  reaches  the  heart.  It  is  felt  that, 
however  pleasing  to  the  ear  choir-singing  may  be,  it  is 
in  its  religious  influence  unsatisfactory  and  meagre. 
There  is  no  desire  to  return  to  it.  Substantially  the 
same  sentiment  exists  in  many  churches  where  choir- 
singing  still  prevails.  It  shows  itself  in  the  expressions 
which  we  often  hear  in  regard  to  the  singing  at  meet- 
ings for  prayer  and  conference,  where  all  sing  who  can. 
Those  who  make  these  expressions  may  not  pretend 
that  such  singing  deserves  to  be  compared,  musically, 
with  the  performances  of  the  choir,  but  they  say  it  seems 
devotional,  and  is  helpful  to  religious  feeling. 

Quite  beyond  these  natural  results  of  psalmody,  con- 
sidered as  a  means  of  grace,  is  its  prevailing  power  with 
God ;  its  efficacy  in  securing  a  divine  blessing.  God 
answers  praise  as  ivell  as  prayer.  Both  were  answered 
in  the  case  of  Paul  and  Silas,  in  their  own  immediate 
and  miraculous  deliverance  from  prison,  and  in  the 
conversion  of  the  jailer  and  all  his  house.  On  another 
occasion,  after  the  offering  of  prayer  and  praise  by  the 
apostles,  "  the  place  was  shaken  where  they  were 
assembled  together,  and  they  were  all  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost." 

But  the  most  remarkable  answer  to  praise  was  given 
at  the  dedication  of  the  temple.  On  that  occasion, 
Jehovah,  by  the  cloudy  symbol  in  which  he  was  wont 
to  appear,  visibly  entered  the  house  which  had  been 
built  for  him,  and  took  possession  of  it  as  his  habita- 
tion. The  priests,  arrested  by  the  insupportable  splen- 
dor of  the  glory  which  they  beheld,  or  perhaps  by  "the 


346  DEDICATION  OF  THE  TEMPLE. 

thick  darkness"  of  the  cloud  which  veiled  it,  could  not 
proceed  with  their  ministrations.  And  as  at  Sinai, 
God  spake  to  the  people  "  out  of  the  midst  of  the  cloud, 
of  the  fire  and  of  the  thick  darkness,"  so  now  he  seemed 
to  say,  by  this  august  symbolic  entrance  into  his  earthly 
temple,  "This  is  my  rest  forever:  here  will  I  dwell; 
for  I  have  desired  it."  We  should  have  expected  this 
wonderful  divine  manifestation,  if  at  all,  at  the  moment 
when  the  ark,  brought  by  priests  into  the  oracle,  was 
deposited  under  the  wings  of  the  cherubim,  no  more  to 
be  moved  while  the  temple  should  stand.  But,  instead 
of  this,  it  occurred  afterward,  during  the  ascent  of  a 
song  of  praise  and  thanksgiving.  "  And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  the  priests  were  come  out  of  the  holy  place, 
...  as  the  trumpeters  and  singers  were  as  one,  to 
make  one  sound  to  be  heard  in  praising  and  thanking 
the  Lord ;  and  when  they  lifted  up  their  voice  with  the 
trumpets  find  cymbals  and  instruments  of  music,  and 
praised  the  Lord,  saying,  For  he  is  good  ;  for  his  mercy 
endureth  forever :  that  then  the  house  was  filled  with  a 
cloud,  even  the  house  of  the  Lord ;  so  that  the  priests 
could  not  stand  to  minister  by  reason  of  the  cloud :  for 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  had  filled  the  house  of  God." 

This  answer  to  praise  was  as  direct  and  wonderful 
as  any  answer  ever  obtained  by  prayer.  While  they 
were  yet  speaking,  the  answer  came,  in  most  signal 
fulfilment  of  that  Scripture,  the  import  of  which  is,  that 
whoso  offereth  praise  shall  have  occasion  to  praise. 
God  will  surely  fulfil  his  promises.  They  who  ac- 
knowledge his  goodness,  and  sing  his  praise,  and  in 
everything  give  thanks,  obtain  his  approbation.  They 
shall  have  new  causes  for  gratitude,  new  themes  for 
praise ;  new  songs  shall  he  put  into  their  mouth. 


I 


EFFECTS  OP  UNITED  PRAISE.  347 

Doubtless  one  reason  for  the  favor  with  which  God 
regarded  the  song  of  praise  at  the  dedication,  was  the 
unanimity  with  which  it  was  offered.  "  The  trumpeters 
and  singers  ivere  as  one,  to  make  one  sound  to  be  heard 
in  praising  and  thanking  the  Lord."  God  is  pleased 
with  the  worship  which  comes  from  united  hearts. 
The  Saviour  gives  special  encouragement  to  those 
requests  in  prayer  in  which  his  disciples  are  agreed, 
and  he  answered  their  prayer  in  a  most  wonderful 
manner  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  because  they  sought 
him  with  one  accord.  In  the  same  manner  the  answer 
was  obtained  when  the  cloud  filled  the  temple.  And 
there  is  something  in  an  act  of  praise,  in  which  many 
unite,  that  is  eminently  suited  to  obtain  answers  from 
God.  Let  the  hymn  to  be  sung  embody  those  great 
and  simple  truths  of  religion  which  are  the  corner-stones 
of  faith,  let  its  expressions  in  regard  to  them  be  those 
which  every  believer  adopts  as  his  own,  and  the  fervid 
utterance  of  those  sentiments  by  a  large  number  of 
voices  in  concert,  will  be  not  only  a  delightful  illustra- 
tion of  Christian  unanimity,  so  far  as  it  already  exists, 
but  it  must  tend  powerfully  to  promote  it.  The  har- 
monies of  music  contribute  to  this  effect.  And  when 
a  whole  congregation,  old  and  young,  lift  up  their  voices 
with  strength  to  magnify  the  Lord  and  to  exalt  his 
name  together,  they  employ  a  most  hopeful  instrumen- 
tality for  promoting  a  general  concurrence  of  devout 
feeling.  We  will  not  call  this  concert  of  voices  any- 
thing more  than  an  instrumentality;  but  it  is  one  upon 
which  we  may  hope  that  God  will  look  with  favor, 
and  use  in  making  his  people  "as  one."  And  then 
they  may  expect  his  larger  gifts.  Such  an  exercise  is 
favorable  to  intensity  of  feeling  also,  as  well  as  to  una- 


848         DIVINE  PROMISE  —  MoCHEYNE. 

nimity.  There  is  something  in  the  tide  of  song  which 
may  be  set  in  motion  by  a  large  assembly,  which  helps 
the  soul  upward  in  those  kindling  aspirations  toward 
God,  and  those  emotions  of  holy  delight  in  him,  which, 
while  they  show  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  already 
enjoyed,  invite  his  still  nearer  approach.  God  will  fill 
the  mouth  that  is  opened  wide  to  him.  The  number 
of  voices  and  instruments  employed  at  the  dedication, 
must  have  been  very  large.  It  is  not  impossible  that 
the  whole  four  thousand,  whose  business  it  was  to  play 
and  sing  in  the  temple,  were  in  active  service  upon  that 
occasion.  Yet  all  hearts  were  as  one  to  make  one 
sound  to  be  heard  in  praising  and  thanking  the  Lord. 
"Was  it  strange  that  God  should  regard  such  a  sacrifice 
as  this,  and  give  demonstration  of  his  approval  ?  He 
is  the  same  yesterday,  and  to-day,  and  forever.  His 
veracity  is  still  pledged  to  crown  the  offering  of  praise 
with  fresh  occasions  for  praise.  With  this  promise 
before  us,  and  with  the  illustration  of  its  fulfilment 
which  we  have  been  contemplating,  why  should  we 
hesitate  to  attach  as  much  importance  to  praise  as  the 
heavenly-minded  McCheyne  did?  "My  dear  flock," 
said  he,  "  I  am  deeply  persuaded  that  there  will  be  no 
full,  soul-filling,  heart-ravishing,  heart-satisfying  out- 
pouring of  the  Spirit  of  God,  till  there  be  more  praise 
and  thanking  the  Lord.  Learn,  dearly  beloved,  to 
praise  God  heartily ;  to  sing  with  all  your  heart  and 
soul  in  the  family,  and  in  the  congregation  ;  then  am 
I  persuaded  that  God  will  give  his  Holy  Spirit  to  fill 
this  house,  to  fill  every  heart  in  the  spiritual  temple." 


REVIVALS  —  MATHER  —  EDWARDS.  349 

§  11.  Elevated  Religious  Feeling  usually  seeks  Expres- 
sion iti  Song. 

It  is  a  remark  of  Spurgeon,  that  "  congregational 
singing  and  united  prayer  always  accompany  a  revi- 
val." In  the  revivals  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament, 
under  the  reigns  of  Hezekiah  and  Josiah,  the  hearts  of 
the  people  overflowed  with  praise.  The  early  history 
of  Christianity,  from  the  day  of  pentecost  onward,  is 
the  history  of  one  long  continued  revival.  The  Refor- 
mation was  a  revival ;  and  both  these  periods  illustrate 
the  remark  just  quoted.  The  history  of  New  England 
shows  that  religion  and  psalmody  have  prospered  and 
declined  together. 

Cotton  Mather,  who  was  a  champion  in  the  cause 
of  musical  reform,  said,  in  the  year  1721 :  "  It  is  remark- 
able that,  when  the  kingdom  of  God  has  been  making 
any  new  appearance,  a  mighty  zeal  for  the  sinking  of 
psalms  has  attended  it  and  assisted  it."  Edwards,  in 
an  account  given  by  him  of  the  revival  in  Northampton, 
in  1734-36,  says :  "  It  has  been  observable  that  there 
has  been  scarcely  any  part  of  divine  worship,  wherein 
good  men  amongst  us  have  had  grace  so  drawn  forth, 
and  their  hearts  so  lifted  up  in  the  ways  of  God,  as  in 
singing  his  praises."  In  his  "  Thoughts  on  the  Revival 
of  1740,"  he  makes  a  similar  remark.  "  I  believe  it  to 
have  been  one  fruit,"  he  says,  "  of  the  extraordinary 
degrees  of  the  sweet  and  joyful  influence  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,  that  there  has  appeared  such  a  disposition  to 
abound  in  this  divine  exercise  [of  singing  praises]  ;  not 
only  in  appointed  solemn  meetings,  but  when  Chris- 
tians occasionally  meet  together  at  each  other's  houses." 
A  similar  disposition  to  sing  has  attended  all  the  great 

30 


350  TOPLADY  —  STODDARD  —  PAYSON. 

revivals  which  the  American  churches  have  enjoyed. 
It  was  a  marked  feature  of  the  recent  awakening, 
whose  happy  influence,  we  may  believe,  is  still  felt  in 
directing  the  thoughts  of  the  churches,  more  than  ever 
before,  to  the  practice  of  singing  by  the  congregation. 
It  is  common  for  Christians  in  the  last  hours  of  life 
to  call  for  singing,  and  to  engage  in  it.  The  dying 
grace  which  God  gives  them,  lifts  them  into  the  region 
of  praise,  and  the  way  into  the  dark  valley  seems  to 
them  "  steps  up  to  heaven."  The  prevailing  character 
of  their  devout  exercises  is  about  to  change  forever, 
and  the  change  often  commences  upon  their  dying-bed. 
They  cease  praying,  and  begin  to  praise.  Among  the 
last  words  of  Toplady  were  these :  "  The  consolations 
of  God  are  so  abundant,  that  he  leaves  me  nothing  to 
pray  for.  My  prayers  are  all  converted  into  praise." 
It  is  related  in  the  memoir  of  the  missionary  Stoddard, 
that,  in  the  early  part  of  his  last  sickness,  he  called 
chiefly  for  hymns  of  prayer,  such  as  "  Jesus,  lover  of  my 
soul,"  "  Father,  whate'er  of  earthly  bliss,"  "  "When  lan- 
guor and  disease  invade."  But,  as  he  drew  nearer 
heaven,  he  desired  hymns  of  a  very  different  character, 
and  for  such  psalms  as  the  103rd  and  146th.  The  end 
of  his  journey  was  crowned  with  praise.  A  part  of  the 
146th  psalm,  commencing  "  I  '11  praise  my  Maker  with 
my  breath,"  together  with  the  hymn,  "  Rise  my  soul, 
and  stretch  thy  win^s,"  and  "  The  dying  Christian  to 
his  soul,"  were  selected  by  Payson,  a  few  days  before 
his  death,  and  were  sung  in  his  chamber  by  members 
of  his  choir.  The  prophet  Isaiah  announced  that  when 
the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  should  return  and  come 
to  Zion,  it  would  be  with  songs.  How  often  is  this 
prophecy  fulfilled  in  the  approach  of  believers  to  their 


SONGS   OF  MARTYRS.  351 

heavenly  home.  Their  faces  become  radiant  with  an- 
ticipated joy,  and  their  tongues  are  unloosed  in  strains 
prelusive,  at  least,  to  the  everlasting  song,  if  indeed 
they  are  not  its  actual  beginning.  Martyrs  in  the 
flames  have  sung  until  they  breathed  their  last.  Euse- 
bius  speaks  of  having  been  a  witness  to  scenes  like  this. 
During  the  persecutions  by  Simon  de  Montfort,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  thirteenth  century,  it  is  related  that 
one  hundred  and  forty  Albigensian  Christians  were 
singing  psalms  while  they  precipitated  themselves  into 
the  flames,  which  had  been  lighted  for  their  destruction. 
They  have  been  called  the  first  Protestant  martyrs. 
Magaret  Wilson,  condemned  to  suffer  for  her  faith,  and 
fastened  to  a  stake  in  Solway  Frith  to  await  the  ad- 
vancing tide,  "  prayed  and  sang  verses  of  psalms  till  the 
waves  choked  her  voice."  How  noble  does  the  faculty 
of  speech  appear,  when  it  thus  publishes,  to  the  glory  of 
divine  grace,  the  triumph  of  the  soul  over  bodily  suffer- 
ing and  the  fear  of  death,  and  sings  it  away  to  ever- 
lasting bliss !  God  has  clothed  our  tongue  with  song, 
that  he  may  receive  from  us  not  merely  such  reflected 
praise  as  arises  from  his  inanimate  works,  and  from  the 
speechless  tribes  of  the  animal  creation,  but  such  uttered 
hallelujahs  as  are  heard  in  heaven.  He  is  honored 
when  his  works  praise  him,  but  more  when  his  saints 
bless  him  ;  when  they  abundantly  utter  the  memory 
of  his  great  goodness,  and  sing  of  his  righteousness. 

The  use  of  speech  in  song  would  appear  to  be  the 
noblest  employment  in  which  the  angelic  choirs  are 
ever  engaged.  The  most  ecstatic  emotions,  the  most 
momentous  themes,  the  most  extraordinary  and  preg- 
nant occasions  in  the  development  of  the  "  eternal 
thoughts"  of  God,  have  called  forth  in  heaven  the  rap- 


352  ANGELIC   PRAISE. 

turous  response  of  song.  When  the  foundations  of  the 
earth  were  settled,  and  its  corner-stone  was  laid,  the 
praise  of  the  Builder  was  not  lost  in  the  silence  of  a 
ravished  contemplation,  but  the  morning  stars  sang 
together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy. 
When  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  took  on  him 
our  nature,  and  salvation  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  a 
multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  brought  their  songs 
from  heaven  to  earth,  and  sung  them  in  the  ear  of 
shepherds.  The  visions  of  Jehovah's  glory,  by  Isaiah 
and  John,  centuries  apart,  were  substantially  the  same. 
They  both  beheld  him  receiving  the  most  profound  and 
adoring  ascriptions  from  the  exalted  beings  near  the 
throne,  who,  with  amazing  powers,  rest  not  day  and 
night,  crying  one  to  another,  "  Holy,  holy,  holy.  Lord 
God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come." 
But  a  still  more  impressive  scene  was  witnessed  by 
John,  when  he  heard  a  new  song  in  heaven,  addressed 
to  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb. 
All  the  choirs  of  heaven  took  part  in  it.  Not  a  voice 
was  silent.  Every  bosom  swelled  with  emotion,  and 
every  tongue  was  laden  with  its  utterance.  Their 
number  was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and 
thousands  of  thousands.  But  even  then,  the  chorus 
was  not  full.  The  circling  wave  of  song  continued  to 
expand,  until  "  every  creature  which  was  in  heaven, 
and  on  earth,  and  under  the  earth,  and  in  the  sea,"  had 
joined  in  it.  The  four  living  creatures  were  but  pre- 
centors in  an  anthem  whose  responses  flowed  in  from 
the  remotest  borders  of  creation.  The  angels  that  excel 
in  strength,  the  hosts  of  the  Lord,  his  ministers  that 
do  his  pleasure,  wherever  in  the  universe,  on  errands 
of  love  and  duty,  they  might  have  been,  reechoed  the 


UNIVERSAL   SONG.  353 

strains  which  their  cherubic  leaders  had  commenced. 
Holy  beings  oi  every  rank,  were  as  one  in  this  tri- 
umphant ascription.  Myriads  of  hearts  were  in  unison, 
myriads  of  voices  were  in  harmony.  Not  a  jarring 
note,  not  a  discordant  feeling,  not  an  indifferent  mind, 
not  one  passive,  curious,  listening  angel,  dropping  into 
silence  to  be  delighted  by  the  inexpressible  grandeur 
of  such  a  symphony ;  but  all  hearts  kindling  with 
holy  rapture,  "  increasing  with  the  praise,"  and  wishing, 
doubtless,  for  "  a  thousand  tongues  "  with  which  to 
utter  it.  What  a  picture  is  this  of  the  sublime  one- 
ness in  feeling  and  act  which,  we  believe,  will  charac- 
terize the  worshippers  of  Jehovah  and  the  Lamb, 
when  at  last  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth 
are  met,  when  our  Father's  house  is  filled,  and  a  mul- 
titude which  no  man  can  number  will  unite,  saying, 
"  Salvation  to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon  the  throne, 
and  unto  the  Lamb ! " 

What  soul  ransomed  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  would 
not  enjoy,  even  here,  if  it  be  possible,  an  earnest  of 
what  he  hopes  to  enjoy  hereafter  in  the  great  assem- 
bly of  the  saints  ?  And  if  it  is  always  inspiring  to 
Christian  hearts  to  use,  as  we  may  do,  the  very  lan- 
guage of  the  "  new  song,"  why  should  we  not  desire 
to  conform,  as  nearly  as  we  can,  to  the  method  of 
uttering  it  which  was  heard  in  heaven  ?  Can  we 
doubt  that  such  will  be  our  desire  and  our  practice,  if 
we  ever  reach  that  happy  world  ?  Can  we  doubt  that 
it  would  be  our  present  practice,  without  a  dissent- 
ing or  an  indifferent  voice,  if  our  love  were  now  per- 
fect ?  Would  not  the  language  of  such  love  be  this  : 
"  If  I  am  surpassed  by  any  in  the  honors  which  I  pay 
to  my  Redeemer,  it  shall  be   by  those   whose  powers 

30* 


354  HEAVENLY   WORSHIP   ANTICIPATED. 

are  above  my  own.  No  faculty  which  he  has  given 
me  for  his  glory  shall  lie  dormant.  This  body  has 
been  presented  to  him  a  living  sacrifice. 

'  Shame  would  cover  me,  ungrateful, 
Should  my  tongue  refuse  its  praise.' 

He  has  cleansed  me  of  my  leprosy,  and  though  but 
one  of  all  the  cleansed  should  return  to  give  him  glory, 
I  will  be  that  one.  I  may  have  a  '  feeble,  stammering 
tongue,'  but  he  who  '  out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and 
sucklings '  can  perfect  praise,  shall  have  praise  from 
me"? 

How  delightful  would  be  the  scene,  if  in  all  our 
earthly  temples  the  Sabbath-songs  of  praise  were  to 
flow  from  such  sentiments  as  these,  and  flow  from 
every  consecrated  tongue !  How  delightful,  if,  com- 
mencing with  those  who  walk  most  closely  with 
God,  as  the  hosannas  of  heaven  commence  with  those 
nearest  the  throne,  they  could  be  swelled  by  the  ac- 
cording voices  and  the  sympathizing  hearts  of  all, 
without  exception,  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
sincerity  !  This  would  be  doing  what  they  expect  to 
do,  and  what,  perhaps,  at  the  close  of  every  prayer 
they  offer,  they  ask  for  the  privilege  of  doing,  when 
their  love  and  joy  shall  be  forever  perfect.  It  would 
be  a  preparation  for  the  anticipated  joy.  It  would 
remind  them  most  impressively  of  their  oneness  in 
Christ,  and  in  the  hope  of  being  with  him  where  he 
is.  It  would  cause  their  hearts  to  flow  together  in  the 
sweet  union  of  Christian  fellowship,  and  they  would 
seem  to  one  another  like  partners  in  a  pilgrimage, 
whose  way  they  cx)uld  beguile,  and  whose  toils  they 


PRACTICAL    CONSIDERATIONS.  355 

could  enliven,  as  did  the  Jewish  companies  on  their 
journeys  to  Jerusalem,  "  with  the  voice  of  joy  and 
praise."  The  valley  of  Baca,  as  they  pass  through  it, 
would  become  to  them  a  fountain  of  delight.  They 
would  go  from  strength  to  strength,  and  they  would 
come  to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon 
their  heads. 

§  12.  Practical  Remarks  on  Congregational  Singing. 

A  few  thoughts  of  a  practical  nature  respecting  the 
introduction  and  proper  management  of  congregational 
singing,  may  appropriately  follow  the  considerations 
already  presented. 

And,  first,  let  the  pulpit  become  a  leader  in  the  move- 
ment in  favor  of  this  mode  of  praise.  A  subject  affect- 
ing, so  vitally  as  this  does,  a  large  part  of  the  devotions 
of  the  sanctuary,  surely  deserves  the  attention  of  the 
ministry. 

Twice  in  the  history  of  the  American  churches,  have 
the  pulpits  of  the  land  called  loudly  and  earnestly  for 
improvement  in  psalmody.  The  period  of  greatest 
musical  degeneracy  ever  known  in  our  country  was 
reached  at  about  the  year  1720.  At  that  time,  there 
was  so  little  knowledge  of  music,  that  few  congrega- 
tions could  sing  more  than  three  or  four  tunes  ;  and 
these  were  sung  so  badly,  that,  to  those  who  possessed 
any  degree  of  musical  culture,  the  singing  w^as  intol- 
erable. The  best  and  ablest  ministers  in  the  colonies, 
including  such  men  as  the  Mathers,  Edwards,  Stoddard, 
Symmes  of  Bradford,  Wise,  Walter,  Thatcher,  Dwight 
of  Woodstock,  and  Prince  of  the  old  South  Church 
in    Boston,  devoted   their   energies   to   the  cause  of 


356  REFORM   OF   1720. 

musical  reform.  They  wrote  sermons  with  reference 
to  it.  They  exchanged  pulpits  with  one  another,  that 
the  sermons  which  each  one  had  prepared  might  be 
preached  to  different  congregations.  Associations  of 
ministers  met  to  hear  essays  upon  the  subject,  to 
discuss  the  topics  embraced  by  them,  and  to  endorse, 
with  numerous  signatures,  their  publication.  The 
recommendatory  preface  to  Mr.  Walter's  singing-book, 
published  in  1721,  and  calling  upon  all,  especially  the 
young,  "  to  accomplish  themselves  with  skill  to  sing  the 
songs  of  the  Lord,"  was  signed  by  fourteen  names  of 
leading  men,  mostly  ministers,  and  among  them  two 
who  had  filled  the  office  of  President  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege, and  three  others  who  had  been  elected  to  that 
office. 

These  efforts  toward  reform  were  stoutly  resisted. 
The  churches  were  thrown  into  a  tempest  of  excite- 
ment, which  continued  to  rage,  with  more  or  less 
violence,  for  ten  years.  Singing  by  note,  or  "  regular 
singing,"  as  it  was  called,  was  considered  popish. 
"  The  old  way  was  good  enough."  The  singing  of  two 
or  three  tunes  at  the  same  time  by  different  portions 
of  the  congregation,  either  ignorantly  or  intentionally, 
or,  what  was  no  uncommon  thing,  the  singing  of  some 
one  tune,  professedly,  in  almost  as  many  different 
ways  as  there  were  voices,  according  to  each  one's 
caprice,  or  fancy  for  embellishment,  so  that,  to  use 
the  description  of  Mr.  Walter,  it  sounded  "like  five 
hundred  different  tunes  roared  out  at  the  same  time," 
did  not  offend  the  blunted  musical  sensibilities  of  the 
age.  But  the  reform  was  accomplished,  the  tempest 
subsided,  and  the  prayer,  "  O  Lord,  send  now  prosper- 
ity," was  answered. 


THE  PSALMODY  OF  BILLINGS.  357 

A  second  period  of  great  musical  degeneracy  was 
occasioned,  not,  as  before,  by  a  total  neglect  of  musical 
culture,  but  by  the  introduction  of  the  coarse,  noisy 
tunes  of  Billings.  These  tunes  brought  with  them 
the  doom  of  congregational  singing,  and  a  general  per- 
version of  musical  taste.  They  continued  in  use 
about  thirty  years ;  just  long  enough  for  a  singing  gen- 
eration to  pass  away,  and  a  generation  wholly  unac- 
customed to  congregational  song  to  come  into  its 
place ;  just  long  enough  to  break  the  thread  of  this 
mode  of  praise,  and  abolish  a  custom  which  otherwise 
would  have  descended  by  gradual  transmission  to  us. 

To  drive,  as  with  a  whip  of  small  cords,  these  ruth- 
less invaders  from  the  sanctuary,  and  to  correct  the 
mischief  which  they  had  wrought  in  corrupting  the 
taste  of  the  people,  was  an  object  worthy  of  the  efforts 
which  were  put  forth  in  this  reform.  These  efforts 
commenced  at  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury. They  originated  with  ministers  of  the  gospel. 
Foremost  among  them  were  Rev.  Drs.  Prince  and 
Worcester,  of  Salem  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Pierce,  of  Brookline ; 
Prof  John  Hubbard,  of  Dartmouth  College ;  and  Rev. 
Dr.  Dana,  of  Newbury  port.  The  latter,  in  a  sermon 
preached  at  Boxford,  in  1803,  said:  "  Our  country  has 
been  for  years  overflowing  with  productions,  not  desti- 
tute of  sprightliness  perhaps,  but  composed  on  no  plan, 
conformed  to  no  principles,  and  communicating  no 
distinct  or  abiding  impression,  —  fugitive,  unsubstan- 
tial things,  which  fill  the  ear  and  starve  the  mind." 
Dr.  Worcester  said,  in  an  address  delivered  at  Concord, 
N.  H.,  "  The  influence  of  psalmody  in  respect  to 
religion  is  vastly  important.  Genuine  psalmody  tends 
to  promote  genuine  religion ;  spurious  psalmody  tends 


358  ANOTHER    REFOEM. 

to  promote  spurious  religion.  .  .  .  How  different  in 
all  respects  from  what  it  ought  to  be,  is  a  great  part 
of  the  music  in  our  churches !  It  is  low,  it  is  trivial, 
it  is  unmeaning ;  or,  if  it  has  any  meaning  at  all,  it  is 
adapted  to  sentiments  and  emotions  altogether  different 
from  those  of  pure  and  elevated  devotion.  ...  It  is 
a  mere  rhapsody  of  sounds,  without  subject,  without 
skill,  without  sentiment,  and  without  sense." 

That  the  reaction  of  the  public  sentiment  against 
this  music  should  be  violent,  was  not   strange.     Nor 
was  it  strange  that  this  reaction  should  lead  to  tunes 
as  stiff  and  dull  as  their  predecessors  had  been  friv- 
olous and  unmeaning.     As  a  consequence  of  this,  the 
religious  benefit  which  the  churches  derived  from  the 
change  was  rather  negative  than  positive.     A  style  of 
music  which  tended   to  dissipate  all  serious   thought 
was  excluded,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  followed  by  such 
slow,  uninteresting  tunes  as  Winchester,  Mear,  Barby, 
Abridge,   and    St.   Martin's,  which    could    not   confer 
upon  the  churches  the    positive  religious   advantages 
which  lie  within  the  power  of  animated   as  well   as 
dignified  psalmody.     Nor   in   the   use   of  such  tunes 
could  there  be  much  hope  of  success  in  an  attempt  to 
restore  congregational  singing.     It  has  been  left  for 
the  present  generation,  to  complete  the  reform  which 
was  so  worthily  and  resolutely  inaugurated  fifty  years 
ago.     To  whom  can  we  look  for  its  accomplishment, 
if  not  to   ministers  of  the  gospel  ?      Choirs  will   not 
move  in   it ;   and  congregations  are   apt  to   be  timid 
about  new  measures,  the  introduction  of  which  would 
involve  division  of  sentiment,  and  perhaps  strife.     But 
let  ministers  find  in  the  precepts  of  the  New  Testament 
upon  the  subject  of  praise,  a  duty  and  a  privilege  for 


I 


INFLUENCE   OF  MINISTERS,  359 

all  Christians  ;  let  them  consider  how  much  this  priv- 
ilege has  been  worth  to  the  church  in  its  most  flourish- 
ing periods — what  a  help  to  devotion,  what  a  means 
of  grace,  what  a  source  of  spiritual  enjoyment  it  might 
now  be,  —  and  they  may  address  an  appeal  to  the  con- 
sciences and  hearts  of  those  who  love  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom,  which,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  will  not  be 
in  vain.  And  both  ministers  and  churches  will  be  sur- 
prised to  discover  how  greatly  the  services  of  the  sanc- 
tuary are  enriched  by  the  change,,  and  how  much  it 
will  contribute  to  the  religious  benefit  of  men.  Both 
the  reformatory  movements  of  which  we  have  spoken, 
began  in  the  right  quarter,  and  were  conducted  boldly, 
zealously,  conscientiously,  and,  no  doubt,  prayerfully. 
They  were  successful ;  that  is,  they  attained  the  results 
which  they  sought.  Are  there  none  in  the  pulpits  of 
the  present  day  on  whom  the  mantle  of  Edwards,  and 
the  Mathers,  and  Prince  may  fall  in  so  good  a  cause 
as  this  ?  Are  there  none  who  will  take  up  and  carry 
forward  the  work  of  Worcester  and  his  co-laborers, 
toward  the  restoration  of  a  mode  of  psalmody  which 
nourished  the  faith  of  our  fathers,  and  which  is  legiti- 
mately ours  by  inheritance  ? 

Secondly,  Churches  should  interest  themselves  in  the 
musical  education  of  children.  If  to  worship  God  in 
song  is  a  Christian  duty,  it  is  equally  so  to  become 
qualified  for  this  service.  The  Westminster  Assembly, 
in  1644,  pronounced  the  singing  of  psalms  to  be  a 
duty  in  which  all  Christians  should  engage,  both  in  the 
congregation  and  in  the  family.  "  And  that  the  ivhole 
congregation  may  join  herein,"  said  they,  "  every  one 
that  can  read  is  to  have  a  psalm-book ;  and  all  others, 


360  EARLY  INSTRUCTION. 

not  disabled  by  age  or  otherwise,  are  to  be  exhorted  to 
learn  to  readP 

We  should  hardly  feel  warranted  in  exhorting  adults 
of  all  ages  to  learn  to  sing.  Few  persons,  probably, 
who  have  come  to  mature  years  without  any  practical 
knowledge  of  music,  could  become  proficients  in  the 
art  of  song  without  great  painstaking ;  and  we  would 
not  urge  any  one  to  take  part  in  the  songs  of  the 
Lord's  house  who  cannot  do  so  without  disturbing 
the  devotions  of  his  candid  and  charitable  fellow- 
worshippers.  But  the  labor  of  teaching  children  to 
sing  is  eminently  a  practicable  labor.  In  early  child- 
hood the  ear  is  quick,  the  vocal  organs  are  flexible,  and 
there  is  usually  such  a  disposition  to  exercise  them  in 
imitating  musical  sounds,  and  such  a  facility  in  doing 
this,  that  the  labor  of  both  teacher  and  scholar  is  rather 
a  pleasure  than  a  task.  It  may  be,  and  always  is  un- 
dertaken, by  those  who  have  had  experience  in  teach- 
ing, with  perfect  confidence  of  success.  Dr.  Thomas 
Hastings,  of  New  York,  remarks,  that  early  cultivation 
in  this  art,  when  rightly  directed,  is  uniformly  success- 
ful. "  The  measure  of  success,"  he  adds,  "  is  not 
always  equal;  but  in  those  districts  of  country,  both 
here  and  in  Europe,  where  juvenile  instruction  prevails, 
the  imaginary  distinction  between  natural  and  unnat- 
ural voices  is  never  thought  of.  All  make  progress, 
and  receive  impressions  lasting  as  life."  In  Prussia  it 
is  the  prevailing  belief  that  all  who  have  the  power  of 
speech  may  learn  to  sing.  It  is  well  known  that 
Luther  would  give  no  encouragement  to  schoolmasters 
who  could  not  sing ;  nor  would  he  have  less  than  an 
hour  a  day  devoted  to  singing  in  the  schools  under  his 
direction. 


DUTY   OF   CHRISTIAN   PARENTS.  361 

We  cannot  expect  complete  success  in  congrega- 
tional singing  in  our  American  sanctuaries,  until  they 
are  filled  with  a  generation  taught  to  sing  from  child- 
hood. The  work  of  Billings  and  his  associates,  in  its 
influence  upon  the  psalmody  of  the  land,  was  like  level- 
ing ancient  forests.  The  injury  cannot  be  repaired  in 
a  day.  We  must  encourage  a  new  growth,  and  wait 
for  time  to  mature  it.  Common  schools  must  be  its 
nurseries,  and  vocal  music  have  an  allotted  place  with 
other  branches  of  daily  instruction.  But  the  first 
seeds  of  song  are  to  be  sown  at  the  parental  fireside. 
In  musical  families,  the  ear  even  of  infancy  is  under 
such  educational  influences,  that  often  the  way  is  pre-, 
pared  for  skill  in  song  long  before  the  lessons  of  the 
schoolroom  are  received ;  and  no  congregation  that  is 
composed  of  families  in  which  singing  by  old  and 
young  is  a  part  of  daily  household  worship,  need  be 
without  good  congregational  singing  on  the  Sabbath. 

The  duty  of  parents  toward  their  children,  in  respect 
to  this  branch  of  their  education,  is  a  Christian  duty. 
The  chief  end  to  be  held  in  view  is  not  the  possession 
of  an  accomplishment,  which,  in  the  language  of 
Luther,  "  maketh  fine  and  expert  people,"  but  the  use 
which  God  may  make  of  this  accompUshment  in  per- 
fecting his  praise  ;  and  in  this  view  a  high  degree  of 
skill  in  song  is  not  to  be  despised,  but  is  rather  to  be 
sought  the  more  diligently,  because  it  is  to  be  conse- 
crated to  the  uses  of  religion.  But  skill  in  this  art  is 
usually  the  result  of  early  training.  No  one,  therefore, 
who  would  bring  to  the  sanctuary  the  best  offering 
which  he  can  command,  rather  than  an  inferior  one, 
will  undervalue  the  importance  of  early  instruction. 

But  it  -is  not  merely  with  reference  to  a  future  ad- 
31 


362  christian's  worship. 

vantage,  that  we  would  sow  these  seeds  of  song  in 
childhood.  We  shall  begin  almost  immediately  to 
reap  the  fruit  of  our  labor.  After  a  very  little  instruc- 
tion, children  may  join  in  the  psalmody  of  the  churches. 
And  this  they  should  be  encouraged  to  do.  They 
should  be  reminded  of  the  tender  interest  with  which 
the  Saviour  regarded  children  when  he  was  on  earth, 
and  of  the  words  of  special  approbation  which  he 
spoke  when  his  attention  was  directed  to  their  youth- 
ful hosannas.  They  should  be  taught  that,  as  the 
Jewish  children  came  near  his  person  and  received  his 
blessing,  so  they  may  come  near  him  in  spirit  with 
their  songs.  They  should  be  taught  that  he  is  offered 
as  a  Saviour  and  protector  to  them  as  well  as  to  others, 
and  that  they  have  every  reason  to  love  and  praise 
him.  Before  they  have  learned  to  say,  in  the  language 
of  fashionable  apology,  "  I  have  no  voice,"  or  "  I  have 
no  ear;"  before  they  have  begun  to  be  affected  either 
with  fear  or  vanity  by  knowing  that  their  voices  are 
heard ;  before  pride  whispers  that  it  is  beneath  their 
dignity  to  engage  in  a  service  in  which  anybody  may 
join,  —  they  should  be  taught  to  open  their  mouth  and 
utter  cheerfully,  heartily,  and  devoutly,  the  praises  of 
their  divine  Redeemer.  They  will  thus  be  forming,  at 
the  right  time  of  life,  a  habit  which  will,  probably,  never 
forsake  them ;  and  which,  we  may  hope,  will  get  the 
start  of  that  foolish  pride  which,  lurking  often  under  a 
garb  of  modesty,  closes  the  lips  of  many  who  are  well 
able  to  sing. 

The  children  who  take  part  in  the  singing  will  be 
found  to  be  greatly  interested  in  it.  The  house  of  God 
will  present  a  new  attraction  to  them.  The  hour  of 
worship,  which  they  now  too  often  only  endure,  they 


THE  READINESS  OF  CHILDREN  IN  SONG.     363 

will  then  enjoy.  They  will  anticipate  it  with  pleasure, 
because  it  has  a  service /or  them;  one  that  is  always  in 
itself  pleasing  to  them,  and  doubly  so  when  it  occurs 
on  the  Sabbath,  in  the  sanctuary,  in  company  with 
their  parents  and  elders.  Parents  also  will  feel  a  new 
interest  in  the  singing,  when  they  hear  the  voices  of 
their  children  mingling  with  their  own.  They  will  feel 
the  power  of  a  new  motive  for  being  qualified  to  sing, 
that  they  may  be  a  help  and  a  guide  to  their  children ; 
and  for  their  children's  sakes  they  will  take  pains  to 
sing  with  promptness,  with  accuracy,  with  distinctness, 
with  animation,  with  full  voice,  with  all  those  qualities, 
in  short,  which  make  good  congregational  praise ;  at 
the  same  time,  the  interest  felt  by  children  in  taking 
part  with  "grown  people*'  in  so  important  a  service, 
and  in  so  public  a  manner,  will  greatly  increase  the 
facility  with  which  they  naturally  learn  to  sing.  They 
will  be  found  to  follow  with  sweet  docility  and  sur- 
prising correctness  in  the  track  of  other  voices,  even 
when  the  tune  is  new  to  them.  Trusting  mainly  to 
their  ear,  which  becomes  very  rapidly  educated,  and 
confiding  implicitly  in  the  voices  on  which  they  lean, 
they  will  not  feel  that  a  tune  must  be  perfectly  known 
to  them  before  they  can  attempt  to  sing  it ;  and  hence, 
after  a  little  practice,  they  will  render  very  important 
aid  in  the  introduction  of  new  tunes.  Besides  this, 
there  is  something  peculiarly  pleasant  in  the  sound  of 
children's  voices  mingling  in  a  general  chorus.  If  the 
children  retain  the  unaffected,  artless  ways  which 
belong  to  childhood,  and  have  not  been  made  prema- 
turely bold  by  being  exhibited  to  admiring  audiences, 
their  singing  cannot  fail  to  please,  and  even  their  errors 
will  be  cheerfully  overlooked.     Not  feeling  concerned 


364  RELIGIOUS  BENEFITS   OF  PSALMODY. 

about  their  musical  reputation,  and  not  apprehending 
any  one's  displeasure  in  view  of  their  occasional  mis- 
takes, their  voices  will  disclose  whatever  natural  sweet- 
ness and  flexibility  they  possess,  and  their  manner  of 
singing  will  be  with  freedom  and  vivacity. 

This  participation  by  the  children  in  the  service  of 
song,  will  be  to  them  the  most  valuable  of  all  the 
services  of  the  sanctuary.  Pulpit  instruction  rarely 
engages  the  attention  of  young  children.  They  gain 
a  better  knowledge  of  religious  truth  from  the  langua*ge 
and  acts  of  direct  worship,  and  especially  from  psal- 
mody, than  they  can  do  from  set  discourses.  Metre, 
rhyme,  song,  the  concurrence  of  many  voices,  the 
felicity  and  sententiousness  of  poetic  expression  com- 
bine to  strike  the  ear  and  command  the»  attention. 
Then,  in  the  best  hymns,  we  find  the  language,  not  of 
formal  didactic  statement,  but  of  tender  sensibility,  and 
often  of  gushing  emotion.  Such  language  is  usually 
simple,  easily  understood,  forcible.  Being  the  language 
of  the  heart,  it  goes  to  the  heart.  Breathing  with  emo- 
tion, it  carries  conviction  of  its  practicalness.  Accord- 
ingly we  find  that,  of  all  the  pious  lessons  of  early 
childhood,  the  best  remembered  in  after-years  are  those 
which  were  embodied  in  compact  simple  verse.  Let 
these  lessons  be  received  every  Sabbath  through  the 
five  or  six  hymns  which  are  used  in  public  worship  — 
let  the  graces  of  verse  be  coupled  with  the  delights  of 
song  upon  the  children's  lips,  and  an  amount  of  divine 
truth  will  be  lodged  in  their  minds  whose  value,  both 
present  and  future,  will  be  incalculable.  "  Let  me 
make  the  ballads  of  the  nation,"  said  the  great  English 
moralist,  "  and  I  care  not  who  makes  their  laws."  Let 
the  choicest  Christian  lyrics  be  made  as  familiar  to  the 


I 


CHOIRS.  365 

young  as  ballads,  and  all  the  munitions  of  law  could 
not  so  surely  protect  their  welfare. 

Not  only  will  they  become  familiar  with  divine  truth, 
but  they  will  be  likely  to  receive  a  right  impression  of 
the  nature  of  the  Christian  religion.  There  is  much  in 
the  psalmody  of  the  Christian  church  that  is  fitted  to 
throw  an  appropriate  aspect  of  cheerfulness  over  the 
whole  field  of  religious  truth  and  duty.  The  songs  of 
the  Lord's  house  are  cheerful  songs.  The  young,  edu- 
cated under  their  influence,  and  assisting  in  their 
utterance,  will  not  be  likely  to  grow  up  with  a  dread 
of  rehgion  as  something  gloomy  and  repulsive,  pro- 
ducing sadness  of  countenance,  austerity  of  manners, 
and  servility  of  spirit.  They  will  have  learned  from 
the  hymns  of  worship  which  have  been  so  often  on 
their  tongues,  that  the  spirit  which  the  gospel  requires 
is  such  a  spirit  of  love,  confidence,  gratitude,  reverence, 
dependence,  submission  toward  God,  and  joy  in  him, 
as  is  in  the  highest  degree  filial,  and  therefore  both 
delightful  and  ennobling  to  those  who  imbibe  and 
cherish  it. 

Thirdly^  it  is  desirable  that,  in  introducing  congrega- 
tional singing,  the  services  of  good  and  well-disposed 
choirs  should  be  retained.  There  is  an  impression, 
quite  general,  that  the  advocates  of  this  mode  of  praise 
would  have  it  introduced  in  the  old  Genevan,  Scotch, 
and  English  Puritan  form,  and  would  have  every  choir 
disbanded.  But  the  experience  of  the  New  England 
churches  in  the  first  hundred  years  of  their  history  is 
sufficient  to  warn  us  of  the  danger  of  constant  musical 
degeneracy  in  congregational  psalmody,  without  such 
assistance  as  may  be  afforded  by  choirs.  It  is  true  that 
music  as  an  art  is  much  more  highly  cultivated  now 

31* 


366  THE   CHOIR  AS  A  HELP. 

than  it  was  then,  and  we  may  to  some  extent  rely  upon 
this  fact  for  the  success  of  our  present  efforts ;  but  with 
this  increased  culture  there  is  also  a  fastidiousness  of 
taste  which  it  will  require  an  effort  to  conciliate,  and 
which,  though  it  deserves  rebuke,  it  is  better  that  we 
should  endeavor  to  conciliate  than  needlessly  to  offend. 
We  may  remind  the  lovers  of  fine  music  that  singing 
in  the  house  of  God  is  not  meant  for  entertainment, 
and  that  when  we  are  professedly  engaged  in  an  act 
of  worship  the  love  of  sensuous  delight  in  song  should 
be  held  in  subordination.  But,  while  we  do  this,  we 
are  still  permitted  to  derive  from  music,  as  an  art,  all 
the  assistance  to  devotion  which  it  can  bring.  In  the 
singing  of  the  congregation,  music  is  invoked  to  assist 
the  devotions  of  the  greatest  number ;  and  as  we  cannot 
expect  the  people  generally  to  become  accomplished 
vocalists,  we  must  adopt  for  their  use  an  easy  and 
simple  style  of  tune.  Having  done  this,  there  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  not  endeavor  to  sing  the  tune 
well.  To  sing  it  poorly  when,  with  suitable  provision 
and  painstaking,  it  might  be  sung  well,  would  be  like 
bringing  the  lame  for  sacrifice.  It  would  not  be  pre- 
senting to  God  our  best  off"erings. 

But,  in  order  that  the  congregation  may  bring  li^best 
offering  in  song,  there  can  be  no  question  that  it  needs 
the  help  and  lead  of  a  choir.  A  company  of  well- 
trained  singers,  having,  what  good  singers  usually  have, 
such  a  love  of  music  as  keeps  them  in  habits  of  con- 
stant vocal  practice,  and  makes  that  practice  a  pleasure, 
have  it  in  their  power  to  impart  invaluable  assistance 
to  the  congregation.  They  are  able  to  sing  with  con- 
fidence. They  are  masters  of  the  music  which  they 
perform.  Their  bold,  firm,  spirited  tones  assure  the 
timid  of  support,  and  encourage  all  who  can  sing,  even 


CHOIR  MUSIC.  367 

moderately  well,  to  put  forth  their  voices  heartily. 
They  may  direct  the  movement  of  the  tunes,  securing 
promptness  and  precision  of  utterance,  and  preventing 
those  dilatory  habits  of  singing,  to  which  congregations 
are  always  liable.  Their  help  in  tunes  that  are  not 
very  familiar,  and  in  learning  new  tunes,  by  which  the 
stock  of  musical  material  in  use  by  the  congregation 
may  be  gradually  enlarged,  is  of  great  importance. 

A  good  choir  will  also  wish  to  be  furnished  with  a 
library  of  anthems,  motets,  and  such  more  highly  elab- 
orated compositions  as  belong  appropriately  to  pro- 
fessed singers.  The  use  every  Sabbath  of  a  selection 
of  the  best  music  of  this  character  which  can  be  found, 
while  it  will  keep  alive  the  interest  of  the  choir,  will 
exert,  insensibly,  a  musically  educating  influence  upon 
the  congregation.  That  practised  singers  should  desire, 
at  least  a  part  of  the  time,  to  use  a  style  of  composi- 
tion raised  to  the  level  of  their  capacity,  is  not  unrea- 
sonable. And  though  the  love  of  musical  exhibition 
would  doubtless  require  to  be  carefully  watched,  just 
as  an  eloquent  preacher  may  often  have  occasion  to 
guard  himself  against  a  tendency  toward  oratorical 
display,  yet  if  the  choir  really  possess  devout  feeling, 
and  desire  to  express  it  in  song,  they  may  do  it  with- 
out being  confined  to  strains  appropriate  to  a  simple 
psalmody  for  the  people.  And  the  people  also,  if  they 
will,  may  find  a  help  to  their  own  devotion  in  such 
singing  ;  although  jt  must  be  confessed  that  direct  wor- 
ship by  the  congregation,  through  an  anthem  by  the 
choir,  is  not  ordinarily  easy. 

We  do  not  assert  that  choirs  are  indispensable  to  the 
success  of  congregational  singing.  A  choir  may  be 
composed  of  such  material  as  to  be  rather  a  hinderance 


368  UNISONOUS   SINGING. 

than  a  help.  It  might  be  such  in  character  that  no 
bond  of  religious  sympathy  could  exist  between  it  and 
the  congregation  ;  or  it  might  regard  the  singing  of  the 
congregation  with  dislike,  and  endeavor  to  thwart  it, 
either  by  its  manner  of  singing,  or  by  selecting  un- 
suitable tunes.  But  if  a  congregation  is  so  fortunate 
as  to  enjoy  the  services  of  a  choir  of  good  singers,  who 
sing  not  for  display,  but  for  worship,  and  who  are  will- 
ing to  assist  the  humblest  worshippers  in  the  sanctuary, 
and  even  children,  in  making  their  praises  vocal,  it 
should  by  all  means,  and  most  thankfully,  avail  itself 
of  such  assistance.  And  such  a  choir  have  a  noble 
service  to  perform;  a  generous  and  self-denying  service; 
a  reasonable  one,  to  be  sure,  and  one  which  we  have  a 
right  to  expect  from  them  if  they  profess  godliness,  but 
one  in  which  they  may  manifest  a  spirit  of  genuine 
consecration,  holy  and  acceptable  to  God.  They  deny 
themselves,  in  great  measure,  the  dehghts  of  such 
music  as  their  cultivated  tastes  could  appreciate,  and 
their  practised  skill  produce,  that  they  may  assist  those 
who  need  assistance  in  bringing  to  God  their  humbler 
offering.  If  they  are  animated  by  right  motives  in 
doing  this,  they  are  giving  many  a  cup  of  cold  water 
to  Christ's  little  ones,  for  which  they  will  in  nowise 
lose  their  reward. 

Fourthly^  let  the  congregation,  male  and  female,  so 
far  as  it  is  convenient  for  them,  sing  upon  the  treble  or 
leading  melody  of  the  tune.  It  is  not  true,  as  many 
seem  to  suppose,  that  any  musical  proprieties  are 
violated  by  doing  this.  In  the  music  of  the  greatest 
masters,  in  the  choruses  of  Handel,  in  the  symphonies 
of  Beethoven,  and  in  all  the  higher  orchestral  music. 


GRANDEUR   OP  THE  UNISON.  369 

the  melody  is  frequently  found  moving  in  octaves. 
This  is  especially  the  case  when  it  is  the  object  of  the 
composer  to  produce  an  impression  of  sublimity.  An 
example  of  this  kind  is  found  in  the  Hallelujah  chorus 
of  the  Messiah  in  connection  with  the  words,  "  For 
the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth."  Dr.  Crotch,  in 
his  remarks  upon  different  styles  of  music,  the  sublime, 
the  beautiful,  and  the  ornamental,  says  :  "  A  passage 
performed  by  many  voices  or  instruments  in  unison  or 
octaves,  produces  sublimity." 

Unisonous  singing  is,  then,  peculiarly  appropriate  to 
songs  of  worship.  It  befits  the  grandeur  of  the  themes 
which  form  their  basis,  and  the  solemnity  of  the  act  in 
which  we  take  it  upon  us  to  speak  unto  the  Lord.  If 
any  songs  should  be  characterized  by  grandeur,  they 
should  be  the  songs  of  the  sanctuary.  Beauty  and 
grace  of  performance  should  yield,  in  the  house  of 
God,  to  strength  and  dignity.  Hundreds  of  voices, 
addressing  the  Supreme  Being  in  solemn,  elevated 
praise,  may  well  afford  to  dismiss  the  thought  of  that 
carefully  adjusted  balance  of  the  parts,  which,  though 
it  be  essential  to  good  choir  singing,  is  a  feeble  excel- 
lence compared  with  a  magnificent  unison.  Hogarth 
relates  that  when  Haydn  heard  a  psalm  sung  in  unison 
by  four  thousand  children  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  he 
was  moved  to  tears,  and  declared  that  that  simple  and 
natural  air  had  given  him  the  greatest  pleasure  he  had 
ever  derived  from  music.  The  same  incident,  probably, 
is  referred  to  by  Mr.  Havergal,  although  in  his  account 
of  it,  instead  of  four  thousand  voices,  he  mentions  six 
thousand,  and  the  support  of  a  sufficient  instrumenta- 
tion ;  and  he  adds,  that  the  tune  which  was  sung  was 
the  Old  Hundredth  Psalm  Tune. 


370  UNISONS   AND   OCTAVES. 

But  we  are  to  discriminate  between  the  singing 
which  is  strictly  in  unison,  and  that  which  is  by  unisons 
and  octaves  united.  Effective  as  a  strict  unison  of 
trebles,  by  thousands  or  even  hundreds  of  voices  must 
always  be,  there  is  great  significancy  in  the  accession 
to  it  of  the  bold,  muscular  tones  of  men's  voices.  A 
peculiar  impression  of  stateliness  arises  from  the  junc- 
tion of  a  manly  tenor  with  an  already  well-sustained 
treble.  Its  effect  is  like  that  of  the  majestic  double- 
diapason  stop  in  the  larger  church  organs.  While  the 
enlivening  effect  of  the  treble-octave  is  retained,  its 
comparative  shrillness  is  attempered  by  its  union  with 
the  tenor ;  and  the  result  is,  that  gravity  and  dignity 
of  tone  which  are  so  much  to  be  desired  in  sacred 
song,  and  which  are  more  happily  secured  in  this  way 
than  they  could  be  in  any  other. 

Another  reason  for  singing  in  this  way  is  that  it 
makes  congregational  singing  practicable.  To  demand 
of  a  congregation  the  whole  four  parts  of  a  tune  in 
proper  balance,  is  a  very  different  thing  from  asking  of 
them  only  one  part,  and  that  a  pleasing  and  easily- 
remembered  melody.  There  are  few  congregations  in 
which  there  are  not  singers  enough  to  sustain,  ably  and 
vigorously,  one  part  of  a  tune.  Let  this  part  be  a 
treble  that  is  adapted  to  a  moderate  compass  of  voice, 
let  all  sing  upon  it  whose  pitch  of  voice  allows  them 
to  do  it  easily,  and  if  there  be  a  general  disposition  to 
sing,  there  is  no  reason  why  respectable  congrega- 
tional song  should  not  be  at  once  realized  in  the  great 
majority  of  our  churches.  There  will  be,  in  this  case, 
a  far  greater  number  of  voices  upon  the  treble  than  are 
ever  heard  upon  that  part  in  ordinary  choir  singing. 
The  treble  will  thus  have  its  appropriate  preeminence 


CONCENTRATION  OF  THE   VOICES.  371 

among  the  parts.  It  will  stand  forth  so  distinctly  from 
them,  and  so  conspicuously  above  them,  as  to  be 
readily  followed  by  those  unpractised  singers  whose 
voices  would  otherwise  be  drifted  hither  and  thither 
upon  the  staff,  by  the  shifting  preponderance  of  treble, 
tenor,  and  bass. 

Strength  of  utterance,  also,  as  well  as  distinctness 
of  treble,  will  mark  this  mode  of  performance.  The 
concentration  upon  one  part  of  the  great  majority  of 
the  voices  which  unite  in  song,  produces  an  impression 
of  strength  which  could  not  be  produced  by  the  same 
voices  distributed.  The  effect  is  like  that  of  an  accu- 
mulation of  military  forces  upon  a  single  point  in  a 
line  of  battle.  It  was  a  frequent  art  in  the  war-policy 
of  Napoleon,  to  dispose  his  troops  in  the  form  of  a 
wedge,  and  with  it  pierce  and  turn  the  enemy's  centre. 
If  he  could  break  that,  the  battle  was  his.  There  is 
something  in  the  singing  of  a  large  assembly  upon  one 
part,  led  by  a  resolute  choir,  which  reminds  one  of  a 
wedge-shaped  attack.  The  charge  is  made  upon  the 
treble,  which  is  emphatically  the  centre  of  the  tune. 
If  that  is  carried,  all  is  carried.  And  in  an  attempt  of 
this  kind,  there  can  be  scarcely  any  doubt  of  success. 
Ordinarily,  a  confidence  of  success  will  show  itself  at 
once  in  every  one's  tone  and  manner.  The  effect  of 
this  will  be  to  encourage  a  large  class  of  persons  to 
sing,  who  are  usually  silent  lest  they  should  be  heard. 
There  are  singers  in  every  congregation  whose  voices 
are  good,  and  whose  ear  is  correct  and  quick,  but  who, 
because  they  cannot  sing  by  note,  will  not  venture 
upon  the  simplest  melody  unless  they  can  lean  upon 
other  and  stronger  voices  for  support.  Give  them  this 
support,  and  they  will  sensibly  augment  the  volume  of 


372  men's  voices  upon  the  treble. 

the  general  chorus.  A  congregation  may  contain 
scores  of  such  persons,  and  even  hundreds,  if  we  in- 
clude children,  and  yet  among  them  all  there  may  be 
very  few  who  can  sing  the  simplest  tune  correctly  with- 
out help.  A  choir  of  twenty  or  thirty  singers  concen- 
trating their  vocal  energies  mainly  upon  the  treble,  and 
singing  with  clear,  distinct  articulation,  with  bold,  com- 
manding tone,  and  with  firm,  steady,  unvarying  move- 
ment, may  set  before  the  congregation  such  a  plain 
and  inviting  path  of  song,  and  may  inspire  with  such 
confidence  all  who  have  the  ability  to  sing,  that  the 
result  will  be  a  successful  and  even  admirable  illustra- 
tion of  the  people's  chorus.  A  hundred  little  rivulets, 
no  one  of  which  could  find  its  way  to  the  sea  alone, 
may  join  the  river  that  passes  near  them,  and  be 
wafted  safely  to  the  ocean  ;  but  the  stream  that  con- 
veys them  owes  much  of  its  grandeur  to  these  little 
tributaries. 

In  the  production  of  this  great  melodic  chorus,  a 
strong  lead  of  men's  voices  upon  the  treble  is  indis- 
pensable. The  value  of  men's  voices  for  dignity  and 
impressiveness  of  tone  has  already  been  alluded  to ; 
but  their  chief  value,  in  the  chorus  of  which  we  speak, 
is  their  strength.  In  the  singing  of  a  congregation, 
vocal  power  is  the  chief  element  of  success.  Weak- 
ness is  failure.  Weakness  of  treble  is  failure,  though 
the  other  parts  were  well  sustained.  There  is  but 
little  danger  of  our  exaggerating  the  importance  of  pro- 
ducing a  large  body  of  tone  upon  a  treble.  We  do  not 
mean  by  this  to  commend  such  feats  of  strong  lungs, 
as  would  give  to  half  a  dozen  stentorian  voices  a  noisy 
and  pretentious  isolation  from  all  the  rest  of  the  assem- 
bly.    Such  vociferation  should  neither  be  encouraged 


A   STRONG   CHORUS.  373 

nor  tolerated.  But  that  power,  the  effect  of  which  we 
feel  in  the  singing  of  a  multitude,  in  which  voices  of 
every  degree  of  strength  and  color  of  expression  lose 
their  individuality  in  the  river  of  song  which  they  help 
to  swell,  can  hardly  be  too  great.  Let  it  be  poured 
forth  until  it  fill  the  house.  Let  the  vocal  current  roll 
its  ample  volume  with  a  momentum  that  shall  seem  to 
float  the  voices  of  which  it  is  composed.  Let  the 
whole  atmosphere  of  the  place  seem  to  have  started 
into  vibration,  and  to  be  charged  with  song  to  its 
utmost  capacity.  Let  this  mighty  vocal  unison  be 
supported,  as  such  singing  always  should  be,  by  the 
ponderous  bass,  and  the  pealing  modulations  of  the 
noblest  of  all  musical  instruments.  Let  the  peerless 
organ  open  all  its  mines  of  sonorous  wealth,  and  load 
the  air  with  its  golden  harmonies. 

Another  reason  for  singing  in  unisons  and  octaves 
is,  that  this  mode  of  song  admits  of  different  harmonies 
by  organ  and  choir,  in  connection  with  any  given 
melody.  The  advantage  of  the  introduction  of  these 
varied  harmonies  would  be  twofold.  First,  it  would 
furnish  a  needed  variety  of  musical  performance  in  any 
congregation  whose  members  prefer  to  confine  their 
singing  to  a  small  number  of  tunes  ;  and  secondly, 
it  would  open  the  way  for  all  needed  improvements  in 
harmony.  The  period  of  the  Reformation  furnishes 
a  historical  example  in  point.  The  earliest  use  of  the 
people's  chorus  at  that  period  was  entirely  unisonous. 
No  other  mode  of  song  was  contemplated  by  the  Re- 
formers. The  tunes  in  use  were  nothing  but  simple 
melodies.  Old  and  young,  male  and  female,  sang 
these  melodies  without  a  thought  of  bass,  tenor,  or 
alto.     But  at  length   the   lovers  of  music  desired  to 

32 


374  INCIDENTAL   ADVANTAGES. 

press  into  the  service  of  sacred  song  a  more  liberal 
contribution  from  the  resources  of  musical  science.  In 
1563,  competent  composers  began  to  harmonize  the 
simple  melodies  of  the  time,  not  with  any  purpose  of 
interfering  with  the  prevailing  mode  of  praise,  —  for  the 
people  were  still  expected  to  sing  as  stoutly  as  they 
pleased  upon  the  part  which  had  always  belonged  to 
them,  —  but  with  the  desire  of  enriching  this  plain  song 
of  the  people  by  the  addition  of  choir  parts  for  trained 
voices.  The  melodies  in  common  use  were  not  only 
simple,  but  few  in  number.  It  was  not  strange,  that 
practised  singers  should  desire  a  richer  and  more 
copious  musical  vocabulary  in  w^hich  to  express  their 
public  praises.  And  what  method  of  attaining  this 
was  so  practicable,  and  at  the  same  time  so  satis- 
factory, as  the  introduction  of  harmony?  Each  of  the 
few  melodies  which  the  people  sung  could  be  harmon- 
ized in  many  different  ways ;  and  so  long  as  the  melody 
itself  remained  untouched,  it  w^ould  be  a  matter  of 
comparative  indifference  to  the  people  what  the  choir 
sung ;  and  the  choir  might  gratify  their  love  of  vanity 
by  diversifying  their  harmonies  at  pleasure.  And  this 
they  did.  Composers  were  ambitious  of  exercising 
their  skill  in  varying  the  harmonies  of  a  given  melody. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Havergal  has  collected  twenty-eight  dif- 
ferent methods  in  which  the  Old  Hundredth  Psalm  Tune 
has,  at  different  times,  been  composed  into  parts.  In 
the  loom  of  song  constructed  in  this  way,  skilful  choirs 
wove  across  the  plain  warp  of  the  people's  melodies 
the  richest  woof  of  many-colored  harmonies,  and  the 
result  was  a  texture  with  which  all  were  satisfied. 
Those  who  desired  musical  gratification,  found  it,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  people  enjoyed  the  privilege  of 


IMPROVEMENTS  IN  HARMONY.  875 

participating  in  the  song.  It  may  not  be  necessary, 
now,  to  resort  to  such  a  plan  of  song  as  this ;  bat  the 
plan  is  one  upon  which  good  choir-singing,  and  suc- 
cessful congregational  singing,  might  both  be  realized 
without  requiring  of  the  people  the  knowledge  of 
many  tunes. 

The  other  advantage  mentioned  is  the  opening  of 
the  way  for  needed  improvements  in  harmony.  If  the 
voices  of  the  people  are  distributed  upon  the  several 
parts,  scarcely  can  a  note  in  the  bass  of  a  familiar 
tune  change  its  place,  but  the  peace  of  the  congrega- 
tion that  sings  it  is  put  in  jeopardy.  There  is  a  large 
class  of  persons  with  whom  "  alteration "  is  a  sacri- 
legious offence.  The  perfection  of  psalm-singing  con- 
sists, in  their  view,  in  singing  as  we  always  have  sung. 
One  could  hardly  whisper  the  possibility  of  improving 
the  harmony  of  the  Old  Hundredth,  without  being 
accused,  by  such  persons,  of  irreverence  for  sacred 
things,  and  a  wanton  disregard  of  old  and  hallowed 
associations.  And  yet  no  one,  of  only  moderate  musi- 
cal culture,  can  notice  the  too  frequent  recurrence  of 
the  tonal  harmony  in  this  tune,  especially  in  connection 
with  the  initial  and  terminal  notes  of  each  strain,  with- 
out perceiving  its  monotonous  effect,  and  wishing  that 
a  tune,  so  venerable  with  age,  and  of  such  intrinsic 
worth,  were  honored  with  such  harmonies  as  it  de- 
serves, and  with  such  as  would  have  been  written  for 
it  by  the  best  masters  two  hundred  years  ago.  If  it 
were  the  custom  of  the  congregations  to  sing  chiefly 
upon  the  treble  part,  the  needed  changes,  both  in  this 
and  in  other  tunes  might  be  introduced.  One  of  the 
doors  now  closed  against  progress  would  be  thrown 
open,   and  we   should   witness   improvement   in   the 


376  ATTITUDE   IN   SINGING. 

methods  of  sacred  harmony,  as  in  other  branches  of 
science. 

Fifthly,  let  the  singing  be  regarded  as  an  act  of 
worship,  and  let  all  the  details  of  the  service  be  such 
as  to  favor  the  expression  of  devout  feeling. 

If  the  singing  is  regarded  as  an  act  of  worship,  we 
shall  not  be  likely  to  speak  of  it  as  music.  We  com- 
monly and  very  properly  associate  with  the  word 
music,  the  thought  of  artistic  exhibition  and  sensuous 
enjoyment.  An  American  traveller  in  Germany,  a  few 
years  since,  asked,  in  what  church  he  could  find  the 
best  music.  The  answer  was,  "  There  is  no  music 
here,  except  once  or  twice  a  year,  on  the  occasion  of 
some  great  festival."  — "  But,  do  not  the  people  sing  in 
church  ?  "  — "  O,  yes;  they  sing  hymns,  but  there  is  no 
music."  If  we  were  to  observe  as  clear  a  distinction 
as  this  remark  indicates  between  ^psalm -singing  and 
musical  entertainment,  a  great  barrier  to  the  success  of 
congregational  singing  would  be  removed. 

If  the  singing  is  regarded  as  an  act  of  worship, 
the  congregation  will  wish  to  stand  when  they  sing. 
Standing  is  one  of  the  appropriate  attitudes  of  rev- 
erence, and  is  therefore  one  that  is  fit  to  be  taken  in  a 
devotional  exercise.  It  is  also  the  best  position  for 
a  free  and  vigorous  use  of  the  vocal  organs.  The  body 
is  erect,  the  chest  is  easily  expanded,  and  by  the  very 
act  of  rising  and  standing  upon  one's  feet,  something 
is  done  toward  overcoming  that  spirit  of  indolence 
which  closes  the  lips  of  many  who  might  sing,  or 
makes  their  singing  spiritless  and  dull.  In  the  singing 
of  a  congregation  there  is  almost  always  a  tendency 
toward   a  heavy  and  tedious  drawling  of  the  notes. 


POSITION   OF   THE   ORGAN.  377 

To  sit  in  singing  is  to  encourage  this  tendency.  Pew- 
seats  are  one  of  the  acknowledged  homes  of  languor 
and  drowsiness.  We  could  not  recommend  congre- 
gational singing  in  any  place,  where  the  love  of  ease 
would  be  so  far  indulged  as  to  hold  the  people  in  their 
seats  while  they  sing.  It  is  both  painful  and  humili- 
ating to  observe  the  evidences  which  every  Sabbath  fur- 
nishes of  the  physical  debility  of  the  present  generation. 
Our  Pilgrim  Fathers  sometimes  sang  thirty  common 
metre  verses  at  one  singing,  and  they  stood  through  the 
whole,  beside  standing  through  their  very  long  prayers. 
The  singing  of  a  single  psalm  often  occupied  half  an 
hour,  and  the  prayers  were  still  longer  than  that. 

If  the  singing  is  regarded  as  an  act  of  worship,  the 
congregation  will  stand  in  the  attitude  of  worship  facing 
the  pulpit.  To  turn  around,  so  as  to  face  an  organ 
and  choir  opposite  the  pulpit,  is  no  help  to  devotion 
but  a  hinderance  to  it.  No  one  will  maintain  that  he 
worships  better  for  turning  around,  or  that  he  has  any 
better  reason  for  such  a  change  of  position  than  a 
desire  to  see  the  choir  and  the  organ,  and  that  part  of 
the  congregation  which  he  cannot  see  while  facing  the 
pulpit.  Just  in  proportion  to  his  curiosity  about  seeing 
these  objects,  will  be  their  diverting  influence  upon 
him.     They  can  be  no  help  to  his  devotion. 

If  the  organ  and  the  choir,  or  precentor,  were  in 
front  of  the  congregation,  and  near  the  pulpit,  the 
principal  alleged  reason  for  turning  around  would  be 
obviated,  and  the  confusion  which  is  caused  by  this  un- 
becoming and  awkward  movement  would  be  avoided. 
And  there  are  very  decided  incidental  advantages  to 
be  secured  by  placing  the  organ  in  this  position.  The 
ground  floor  of  the  house  is  the  place  from  which  to 

32* 


378  MEETINGS   FOR   PRACTICE. 

exhibit  to  the  best  advantage  the  power  of  the  instru- 
ment. Its  nearness  to  the  congregation  makes  it  easy 
for  all  who  sing  to  follow  it.  And,  then,  its  location 
on  the  same  level  with  the  pews,  and  in  full  view  from 
every  part  of  the  house,  would  make  it  obvious  at 
once,  that  the  organ  is  intended  for  the  people,  and  is 
played  for  their  benefit,  and  not  merely  to  help  an 
isolated  choir  in  a  remote  organ-loft.  And  this  would 
do  much  toward  inclining  the  people  to  sing. 

If  the  singing  is  regarded  as  an  act  of  worship,  the 
congregation  will  take  pains  to  become  familiar  with 
the  hymns  and  tunes  which  they  are  to  use.  The  less 
one  is  embarrassed  by  the  effort  to  sing  correctly  in 
respect  to  tune,  time,  and  the  delivery  of  the  words, 
the  easier  will  it  be  to  sing  devoutly.  For  this  reason, 
and  for  other  reasons,  such  as  the  duty  to  bring  to  God 
our  best  services,  and  the  duty  to  sing  so  as  to  help 
rather  than  hinder  the  devotions  of  others,  there  should 
be  frequent  meetings  for  practice.  We  never  expect 
good  choir-singing  where  there  are  not  diligent  re- 
hearsals. Why  should  we  expect  more  from  congrega- 
tions than  we  do  from  choirs  ?  It  ought  not  to  be  sup- 
posed, that  the  end  which  we  have  in  view  is  of  so  easy 
attainment  that  it  can  be  gained  without  effort.  All 
analogy  teaches,  that  the  most  valuable  results  in  any 
field  of  endeavor  are  to  be  secured  only  by  persevering 
and  laborious  pursuit;  and  we  should  be  degrading  the 
object  at  which  we  aim,  to  imagine  that  it  lies  within 
the  reach  of  indolence  and  indifference.  Every  congre- 
gation should  in  some  way  secure  for  itself  the  benefit 
of  a  weekly  practice.  If  there  be  times  or  places  in 
which  this  cannot  be  done,  something  approaching  to 
it  might  be  attempted,  with  advantage,  on  the  evening 


ASSOCIATION   OF   WORDS  WITH  NOTES.  3T9 

of  the  stated  weekly  prayer-meeting  of  a  church. 
Often  the  singing  at  such  a  meeting  may  be  in  the  use 
of  the  same  hymns  and  tunes,  or  a  part  of  the  same, 
which  are  to  be  used  on  the  coming  Sabbath.  The 
two  or  three  tunes  with  which  the  people  are  least 
acquainted,  may  thus  be  made  familiar.  An  increased 
attendance  upon  the  prayer-meeting  might  be  an  inci- 
dental and  not  inconsiderable  advantage  of  this  plan. 

The  practice  of  using  a  given  hymn  alivays  with  the 
same  tune  diminishes  the  labor  of  learning  new  tunes, 
and  greatly  assists  the  effort  of  retaining  both  hymn 
and  tune  in  the  memory.  The  association  which  is 
thereby  formed  in  the  mind,  between  lines  of  poetry 
and  the  musical  strains  in  which  we  pronounce  them, 
so  that  one  suggests  the  other,  is  the  secret  of  this  ad- 
vantage. In  Germany,  in  any  given  locality,  every 
hymn  has  its  tune,  from  which  it  is  rarely,  if  ever,  sep- 
arated. Upon  a  Sabbath  morning,  the  hymns  for  the 
day  are  indicated  by  figures  posted  on  a  tablet  near 
the  pulpit,  where  all  can  see  them.  As  soon  as  the 
hymns  are  found,  it  is  known  what  tunes  are  to  be 
sung.  Indeed,  the  tunes  are  not  known  by  proper 
names,  such  as  Dalston,  Amsterdam,  but  by  the  first 
few  words  of  the  hymn,  as  "  How  pleased  and  blest," 
"  Rise  my  soul."  By  this  intimate  connection  be- 
tween the  hymn  and  its  tune,  both  are  far  more  per- 
manently lodged  in  the  memory,  than  if  the  hymn  were 
sung  now  in  one  tune,  and  now  in  another,  and  never, 
perhaps,  in  any  tune  twice.  The  only  way  in  which 
such  a  practice  can  be  made  common,  where  it  does 
not  already  exist,  is  by  the  use  of  a  book  in  which 
hymns  and  tunes  have  been  brought  into  appropriate 
alliance  by  competent  editorial  labor.     The  hymn  and 


380  A    SIMPLE    STYLE   OF   SINGING. 

its  tune  should  stand  upon  one  page.  The  singer  has 
then  but  one  book  to  hold,  and  his  eye  easily  passes  to 
and  fro  between  words  and  notes.  If  suitable  tunes 
are  provided,  and  fit  connections  formed  between  tunes 
and  hymns,  the  desired  association  of  words  with 
notes  will  soon  be  established. 

The  use  of  such  a  book  affords  great  encouragement 
to  individuals  and  families  to  learn  to  sing.  All  the 
private  labor  which  they  expend  in  becoming  familiar 
with  the  book,  is  so  much  direct  preparation  for  the 
psalmody  of  public  worship.  The  tune,  in  which  a 
family  at  household  worship  on  Sabbath  morning  sings 
the  words  "  Welcome  sweet  day  of  rest,"  is  the  tune 
which  will  be  sung  to  those  words  in  the  sanctuary,  if 
the  congregation  should  use  that  hymn. 

If  the  singing  is  regarded  as  an  act  of  worship,  the 
congregation  will  not  perplex  itself  with  the  refinements 
of  technical  musical  expression.  It  will  dismiss  all 
thought  of  that  kind  of  expression,  which  is  obtained 
by  mechanical  methods  to  be  learned  from  a  table  of 
musical  signs.  It  will  not  deny,  that  we  should  sing 
with  appropriateness,  and  with  discernment  of  the  dis- 
tinctive emotional  character  of  each  hymn  and  each 
stanza.  But  what  that  manner  of  singing  is  which  is 
appropriate  in  each  instance,  it  will  allow  an  intelligent 
and  cordial  sympathy  with  the  sentiments  which  are 
sung  to  prescribe.  Let  a  congregation  be  required  to 
sing,  now  soft,  now  loud,  now  fast,  now  slowly,  now 
crescendo,  now  diminuendo,  now  with  tones  short  and 
sharp,  and  now  with  prolonged  and  gliding  notes,  and 
always  with  such  deference  for  punctuation  that  a 
comma  would  bring  an  entire  assembly  to  a  sudden, 
startling  pause,  and  the  attempt  to  do  this,  beside  being 


ARTISTIC   SINGING.  381 

in  itself  a  pretentious  failure,  would  defeat  every  relig- 
ious end  which  psalmody  contemplates.  Some  would 
be  perplexed,  and  would  abandon  the  singing  alto- 
gether; some  would  feel  that  they  were  doing  exploits, 
and  all  who  do  sing  would  be  tasking  themselves  to 
produce  the  appropriate  lights  and  shades  of  musical 
expression.  Those  careful  modulations  of  the  voice,  by 
which,  if  they  are  used  moderately  and  with  concealed 
art,  a  skilful  choir  may  impress  an  audience,  are  not 
needed  in  the  people's  chorus,  in  which  there  is  no  au- 
dience, and  they  would  be  of  very  doubtful  advantage 
if  they  could  be  used.  Even  if  we  consider  this  chorus 
in  the  light  of  its  impressiveness,  it  is  chiefly  its  gran- 
deur that  makes  it  impressive,  and  the  effisct  which  it 
derives  from  this  source  would  be  rather  weakened 
than  assisted  by  the  addition  of  the  finer  graces  of  art. 
Dr.  Lowell  Mason  has  well  said,  in  illustration  of  this 
thought,  that  the  grandeur  of  the  ocean  does  not 
depend  upon  the  purity  of  its  waters,  nor  the  grandeur 
of  a  mountain  upon  the  richness  of  its  soil. 

Ordinarily,  a  hymn  should  be  sung  in  steady,  un- 
varying movement,  from  beginning  to  end.  If  there 
should  be  anything  in  what  is  sung  to  lead  a  congrega- 
tion spontaneously,  without  premeditated  purpose,  and 
almost  unconsciously  to  itself,  to  accelerate  or  slacken 
its  time  in  a  particular  part  of  the  hymn,  there  is,  per- 
haps, no  objection  to  its  obeying  such  an  impulse.  But 
the  change  which  is  made  should  be  very  slight,  and 
never  such  as  to  attract  attention.  The  labor  after  ex- 
pression, by  means  of  a  fluctuating  movement,  is  one 
of  the  poorest  attempts  which  choirs  ever  make.  For 
a  congregation  to  make  this  attempt  would  be  to 
invite  confusion  at  once.     Not  only  should  it  be  the 


382  obsetlva-ce  of  pause?. 

aim  of  a  congregation  to  sing  a  hymn  in  exact  and 
uniform  time  throughout,  but  it  should  take  the  greatest 
pains  to  realize  this  aim.  A  steady  time,  as  steady  as 
the  motion  of  the  planets,  is  not  only  demanded  by  the 
laws  of  music,  but  it  is  necessary  to  the  comfort  and 
confidence  of  those  who  sing. 

The  current  of  song  should  be  continuous,  also,  as 
well  as  uniform  in  its  progress.  It  should  not  be  in- 
terrupted by  pauses.  In  reading,  the  pauses  arrest  the 
voice,  and  enjoin  upon  it  a  momentary  silence.  But 
the  nature  of  tonal  utterance  forbids  such  interrup- 
tion. Tonal  utterance  requires  prolongation  of  sound. 
When  this  necessary  condition  of  song  is  wanting, 
as  it  must  be,  if  every  pause  which  the  sense  of  the 
hymn  admits  is  allowed  to  suspend  the  voice,  melody 
is  destroyed,  and  singing  becomes  declamation.  Even 
that  momentary  cessation  of  tone  which  is  necessary 
in  taking  breath,  constitutes  an  imperfection  in  sing- 
ing, and  the  art  of  concealing  the  act  of  breathing,  so 
as  to  break  as  little  as  possible  the  flow  of  a  melody, 
is  always  cultivated  by  the  best  vocalists.  A  good 
organist  never  lifts  his  hands  from  the  keys  till  his 
playing  is  done.  The  successive  progressions  which 
come  under  his  skilful  finger,  are  wrought  into  a  com- 
pact framework  of  harmony,  in  which  no  chord  is  sep- 
arated from  the  adjacent  chords  by  any  perceptible 
interval  of  time.  So,  in  singing,  our  endeavor  tihould 
be  to  give  every  note  its  full  length,  and  to  let  the  voice 
be  constantly  heard  ;  otherwise  the  song,  which  should 
be  continuous,  and,  as  nearly  as  possible,  unbroken  in 
its  flow,  is  disfigured  with  unseemly  gaps,  such  as  ap- 
pear in  the  singing  of  one  who  is  short-breathed.  And 
with  many  a  person,  much  of  the  usual  pleasure  of 


EXCESS   OP  MUSICAL  EXPRESSION.  383 

singing  is  prevented  by  the  fear  that  at  some  unguarded 
moment,  when  he  is  not  watching  for  commas,  his 
slender  voice  will  be  left  alone,  like  a  solitary  suspen- 
sion-wire, bridging  a  chasm  of  silence. 

There  cannot  be,  in  singing,  such  an  observance  of 
pauses  as  there  is  in  reading,  without  giving  an  undue 
importance  to  the  pauses,  so  as  to  thrust  them  upon 
every  one's  attention.  A  sudden  stop,  a  "  flash  of 
silence,"  in  the  midst  of  a  full  and  animated  chorus, 
surprises  an  audience.  Its  effect  is  too  much  like 
those  abrupt  and  startling  transitions  which  are  to  be 
expected  in  dramatic  exhibition.  And  the  notice  which 
is  thereby  taken  of  an  ordinary  mark  of  punctuation 
is  so  extravagant,  and  so  far  beyond  what  the  sense  of 
the  hymn  can  demand,  that,  in  the  judgment  of  good 
taste,  it  is  better  to  make  no  attempt  to  observe  pauses 
by  any  absolute  suspension  of  the  voice. 

The  habit  of  lingering  at  the  end  of  the  lines  is  a 
very  common  fault  in  singing.  Much  of  the  life  of  the 
song  is  thereby  lost,  both  by  the  encouragement  which 
is  given  to  a  dilatory  habit,  and  by  the  loss  of  the 
sense  of  that  regularly  recurring  musical  pulse,  or  beat, 
which  should  be  always  in  the  mind. 

Musical  expression,  even  in  choir-singing,  is  often 
extravagant,  and  at  variance  with  the  simplicity  which 
is  becoming  in  worship.  There  is  a  labored  and  pain- 
fully dramatic  style  of  performance,  which  savors  more 
of  art  than  of  devotion,  and  which  appeals  to  fancy 
more  than  to  religious  sentiment.  Those  singers 
whose  thoughts  are  more  upon  the  tune  than  upon  the 
hymn,  are  usually  lavish  of  expression.  They  crave 
the  entertainment  which  is  afforded  by  high  musical 
coloring.     The  singing  of  a  plain  tune  several  times 


384  EXPRESSION  OFTEN  ERRONEOUS. 

through,  is  monotonous  to  them,  and  their  "  expres- 
sion" is  an  effort  after  relief  and  variety.  Hence  its 
exaggeration.  But  with  those  whose  chief  interest 
centres  upon  the  hymn,  and  who  are  fed  by  its 
embodied  sentiment,  instead  of  merely  reciting  its 
phraseology  as  a  needed  metrical  form  upon  which 
to  display  their  musical  ornaments,  the  case  is  very 
different.  Their  taste  demands,  and  their  devotion  is 
most  assisted  by,  such  simple  yet  earnest  and  elevated 
tonal  utterance  as  they  would  use 'if  God  only  were 
present  to  hear.  They  will  not  be  laboring  to  impress 
others  by  their  singing,  and  hence  artificial  representa- 
tion will  hold  a  very  subordinate  place  in  their  regard. 
Not  only  is  musical  expression  often  carried  to  ex- 
cess, but,  for  want  of  a  correct  judgment  of  what 
ought  to  be  expressed,  it  is  often  misplaced  and  false. 
Not  the  pervading  sentiment  of  the  hymn  or  stanza 
is  expressed,  but  only  its  phraseology.  Words  are 
dramatized  intensely,  while  thoughts  are,  apparently, 
almost  unperceived.  In  singing  such  couplets  as  the 
following  — 

"  The  vital  savor  of  his  name 
Restores  their  fainting  breath ; "  — 

"  To  chase  the  shades  of  death  away, 
And  bid  the  sinner  live  ;  "  — 

"  Our  quickening  souls  awake  and  rise 
From  the  long  sleep  of  death ; "  — 

"  Ever  will  he  be  thy  stay, 
Though  the  heavens  shall  melt  away ;  "  — 

"  He  will  gird  thee  by  his  power, 
In  the  weary,  fainting  hour ; "  — 


EXPRESSION   OF   WORDS   AND    PHRASES.  385 

the  chief  object  with  many  choirs  is,  not  to  represent 
the  lively  sentiments  which  these  couplets  contain,  but 
very  carefully  to  paint  the  phrases,  "  fainting  breath," 
"  shades  of  death,"  "  sleep  of  death,"  "  melt  away," 
"  weary,  fainting  hour." 

Who  has  not  noticed  the  effect  upon  some  choirs  of 
such  words  as  "  death,"  and  "  grave,"  even  when  the 
stanza  in  which  they  occur  is  of  a  jubilant  character; 
—  as  in  the  lines  — 

"  He  makes  me  triumph  over  death, 
And  saves  me  from  the  grave  "  ? 

Appropriateness,  in  singing  these  lines,  is  thought  to 
require  the  voices  to  falter  upon  such  words.  In  sing- 
ing the  stanza  — 

"  This  is  the  grace  that  lives  and  sings, 
When  faith  and  hope  shall  cease  ; 
'  T  is  this  shall  strike  our  joyful  strings 
In  realms  of  endless  peace  "  — 

it  is  not  uncommon  for  the  second  line  of  the  stanza 
to  be  sung  "  diminuendo "  throughout,  because  the 
word  "  cease  "  is  at  the  end  of  it.  The  stops  of  the 
organ  are,  one  by  one,  thrust  back,  the  voices  gradually 
suppressed,  till  in  the  middle  of  the  stanza  there  is  a 
general  cessation.  Doubtless  the  discontinuance  of 
faith  and  hope  may  be  expressed  in  this  way,  but  the 
writer  of  the  hymn  would  much  prefer  that  our  expres- 
sion should  relate  to  the  grace  which  does  not  cease 
with  faith  and  hope,  but  forever  "  lives  and  sings." 
How  often  do  choirs  drop  suddenly  from  full  voice 
almost  to  "pianissimo"  when  they  would  express  the 
word  "  peace  "  ;  —  as  in  the  stanza  — 

33 


386  INTERLUDES. 

"  The  saints  shall  flourish  in  his  days, 
Dressed  in  the  robes  of  joy  and  praise ; 

Peace,  like  a  river,  from  his  throne 
Shall  flow  to  nations  yet  unknown  " ! 

or  in  the  lines  — 

"  Defend  me  from  each  threatening  ill ; 
Control  the  waves  ;  say,  ''Peace  !  be  still!"* 

We  have  heard  a  choir  endeavor  to  express  a  feeling 
of  sadness  at  the  thought  of  the  end  of  time,  in  sing- 
ing the  words  — 

"  His  worship  and  his  fear  shall  last, 
Till  hours  and  years  and  time  be  past." 

We  have  heard  a  choir  attempt  to  paint  the  full 
meaning  of  the  word  "  mourn,"  in  the  line  — 

"  Cease,  ye  pilgrims !  cease  to  mourn." 

K  the  same  choir  had  sung  the  line  — 

"  No  groans  shall  mingle  with  the  songs," 

doubtless  the  "  groans  "  would  have  been  heard. 

Such  efforts  to  "  express "  words  and  phrases  in 
singing  are  trivial,  to  say  the  least.  Sometimes  they 
are  ludicrous.  And  it  is  very  common  for  the  appro- 
priate impression  of  a  hymn  to  be  sensibly  impaired  by 
them,  even  if  its  prevailing  spirit  is  not  positively  mis- 
represented. 

If  the  singing  is  regarded  as  an  act  of  worship, 
the  congregation  will  not  desire  long-  organ  interludes 
between  the  stanzas.  Interludes  are,  in  themselves, 
an  evil.  They  break  the  continuity  of  the  hymn  and 
delay  its  progress.     When  the  hymn  is  of  a  highly 


OBJECT  OF  THE  INTERLUDE.  387 

emotional  character,  containing  the  language  of  devo- 
tion throughout,  its  several  parts  so  closely  connected 
in  thought,  that  the  entire  effusion  emanates,  appar- 
ently, from  a  single  glow  of  devout  affection,  as,  for  ex- 
ample, the  hymn  of  Bernard,  "Jesus!  the  very  thought 
of  thee,"  or  the  hymn  of  Palmer,  "  Jesus !  these  eyes 
have  never  seen  That  radiant  form  of  thine,"  —  its 
repeated  interruption  by  an  interlude '  following  each 
stanza,  is  a  violence  to  which  the  hymn  should  never 
be  subjected.  To  separate  a  prayer  into  paragraphs 
by  intercalated  strains  of  music,  would  be  a  parallel 
case. 

Occasional  interludes  may  be  needed,  to  give  singers 
a  few  moments  for  taking  breath.  The  time  which 
would  be  occupied  in  playing  a  single  line  of  the  tune,  is 
amply  sufficient  for  this  purpose.  For  the  organist  to 
play  longer  than  that,  when  the  worshippers  are  kept 
standing  to  hear  him,  is  to  fatigue  more  than  to  re- 
lieve them.  With  suitable  tunes,  tunes  which  are  quick- 
moving  and  not  too  high,  two  interludes  in  a  psalm  of 
six  common  metre  stanzas  ought  to  be  considered  suf- 
ficient ;  and,  as  a  general  rule,  there  should  be  no  more 
interludes  than  are  positively  needed  for  relief  from 
fatigue. 

The  interludes  which  are  used  should  be  such  in 
character,  as  to  preserve  the  impression  which  the  hymn 
and  tune  are  fitted  to  produce.  The  organist,  beside 
being  master  of  his  instrument,  should  be  a  man  of 
quick  sensibilities  and  a  devout  mind.  His  heart 
should  warm  at  the  fire  which  kindled  the  fervor  of  the 
hymn.  He  should  be  in  full  sympathy  with  both  hymn 
and  tune,  and  should  know  how  to  express  that  sym- 
pathy.    In  giving  out  the  tune,  he  should  play  nothing 


388  CHARACTER   OF   THE   INTERLUDE. 

but  the  identical  chords  and  progressions,  note  for 
note,  of  which  the  tune  consists.  Between  the  stanzas, 
he  should  play  nothing  that  is  frivolous  in  character 
or  secular  in  its  associations.  He  should  not  confuse 
the  minds  of  the  people  by  taking  up  a  different  move- 
ment from  that  in  which  the  tune  is  sung.  He  should 
not  keep  them  waiting  for  him  to  change  the  stops. 
He  should  not  harp  upon  fancy  stops,  or  loiter  and  play 
seesaw  with  the  swell.  He  should  not  fall  into  a 
musical  reverie,  and  play  in  such  a  vague  and  dreamy 
way  that,  when  the  singing  is  resumed,  there  will  be  a 
general  feeling  of  uncertainty  about  the  time.  He 
should  not  play  in  a  dilatory  or  hesitating  way,  as 
though  he  were  either  indifferent  or  at  a  loss.  He 
should  feel  that  the  time  which  he  is  using  is  valuable ; 
that  the  congregation  are  standing  in  act  of  solemn 
worship,  and  that  with  such  an  instrument  as  he  has 
in  charge  with  which  to  help  and  lead  them,  they  may 
reasonably  expect  him  to  be  serious  and  in  earnest. 
He  need  not  play  without  taste,  or  without  elegance; 
but  he  should  have  a  meaning  in  what  he  plays,  and 
he  should  express  it  with  promptness,  distinctness,  and 
precision.  If,  then,  his  playing  is  one  in  spirit  with 
what  is  sung,  and  if  the  energy  of  a  warmly  sympa- 
thetic emotion  is  infused  into  it,  the  evil  of  interludes 
will  be  greatly  mitigated. 

A  good  organist  will  endeavor  to  avoid  monotony  in 
his  interludes.  He  will  usually  step  a  little  aside  from 
the  beaten  path  of  the  tune  which  he  has  been  play- 
ing, into  some  neighboring  and  related  key,  not  by 
harsh  and  pedantic  transition,  but  by  such  gentle  and 
ingenious  modulation  as  we  hear  in  the  playing  of 
thorough-bred  organists.     He  will  seek  variety  in  his 


CONGREGATIONAL  TUNES.  389 

cadences^ — sometimes  resorting  to  the  half  cadence,  and 
sometimes  closing  upon  the  dominant  of  the  relative 
minor.  The  delicate  avoidance,  by  these  or  any  similar 
methods,  of  the  perpetually  recurring  common  cadence, 
will  be  most  grateful  to  the  ear. 

Still  the  interlude  is  an  evil,  and  it  should  be,  as  far 
as  possible,  dispensed  with.  It  stands  in  the  way  of 
an  accumulation  of  devout  interest,  as' the  singing  of 
the  hymn  progresses. 

Sixthly^  the  success  of  congregational  singing  will 
depend  very  much  upon  the  use  of  suitable  tunes. 
The  tunes  must  be  simple^  natural^  and  easy  to  sing. 

By  this  it  is  not  meant  that  they  should  be  tame  and 
monotonous,  or  in  any  respect  inferior  as  compositions. 
Certainly  it  is  not  meant  that  they  should  be  so  utterly 
destitute  of  character  as  are  a  large  part  of  the  tunes 
which  have  recently  come  into  use ;  much  less  that 
they  should  violate  any  of  the  laws  of  musical  science. 
A  tune  may  be  simple,  and  yet  possessed  of  sterling 
merit,  as  Dundee  and  the  Old  Hundredth.  It  may  be 
simple,  and  yet  classic  in  its  whole  style  and  structure, 
and  conformed  to  the  most  rigid  rules  of  scientific  pro- 
gression in  both  melody  and  harmony,  as  Tallis  and 
Phuvah.  It  may  be  simple,  and  yet  capable  of  all  the 
awakening  and  elevating,  or  subduing  and  impressive 
effects  which  are  intended  in  the  hymn  with  which  it 
is  used.  A  tune  may  be  simple,  and  yet  afford,  in 
both  melody  and  harmony,  a  pleasing  variety.  When 
a  tune  is  all  this,  and  possesses  at  the  same  time  an 
individuality  to  which  every  line  and  every  strain  con- 
tributes, and  which  would  be  instantly  disturbed  by  the 
removal  of  one  of  the  lines,  and  the  substitution  of  a 

33* 


390  SIMPLICITY   IN   TUNES. 

new  one  not  clearly  and  logically  one  in  thought  and 
spirit  with  the  other  three,  we  have  the  perfection  of  a 
tune.  And  it  must  be  seen  to  be  no  easy  task  to  fur- 
nish, within  the  narrow  compass  of  four  lines,  a  tune 
which  shall  possess  both  unity  and  variety,  and  still 
keep  within  the  bounds  of  simplicity  and  naturalness. 

By  simplicity  in  a  tune  is  meant  plainness,  or  free- 
dom from  artificial  ornament.  Music,  as  an  art,  claims 
the  attention  of  a  worshipping  assembly  just  so  far  as 
it  may  assist  devotion,  and  no  further.  All  those 
highly-wrought  artistic  effects  which  are  intended  to 
captivate  the  ear  and  divert  attention  to  themselves, 
are  to  be  avoided. 

We  will  specify  a  few  things,  in  our  ordinary  church 
psalmody,  which  seem  to  us  to  be  at  variance  with 
simplicity. 

First,  an  excessive  use  of  dotted  notes.  These  notes 
are  often  valuable  in  giving  expression  to  spirited 
hymns,  and  often,  words  of  several  syllables  may  be 
uttered  more  gracefully  by  the  use  of  them  ;  but,  in 
general,  they  produce  a  jerking  effect,  which  is  un- 
dignified, disturbs  the  movement,  and  annoys  the  per- 
former. A  rest,  instead  of  a  dot,  is  still  worse.  The 
voices  are  brought  to  a  sudden  pause,  to  start  again 
upon  a  short  note,  at  the  hazard  of  having  no  two 
voices  start' together.  Nevertheless,  the  tunes  with 
dotted  notes  are  usually  popular.  Witness  Arlington, 
Zion,  Cowper,  Ariel,  Rock  of  Ages.  But  they  are 
seldom  well  sung  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  keep- 
ing the  proper  time. 

Secondly,  an  excessive  use  of  ties  and  suspensions. 
These  are  generally  a  mere  musical  dalliance  standing 


VIOLATIONS   OF   SIMPLICITY.  391 

in  the  way  of  a  straight-forward  and  manly  utterance 
of  praise.  They  belong  properly  to  weak  and  senti- 
mental music.     Witness  Shirland. 

Thirdly,  dots  and  ties  united^  as  in  the  tunes  Antigua, 
and  St.  Martin's.  To  require  the  voice  to  change  its 
pitch  two  or  three  times  on  a  single  vowel,  is  certainly 
no  help  to  devotion,  and  it  causes  needless  delay.  And 
the  performance  of  the  three  tied  notes,  the  first  one 
being  dotted,  is  almost  uniformly  bad.  The  second 
note  of  the  three  is  seldom  articulated  distinctly,  but 
only  slid  over  in  passing  from  the  first  note  to  the 
third,  just  as  one  who  is  careless  of  his  speech  slides 
over  the  second  syllable  of  the  word  government^  with- 
out attempting  to  pronounce  it. 

Fourthly, /?/g*we5,  duets^  and  solos.  These  can  hardly 
be  supposed  to  answer  any  higher  end  in  psalmody 
than  to  humor  an  idle  fancy,  and  foster  the  vanity  of 
the  performer. 

Fifthly,  triplets.  Triplets,  in  such  a  tune  as  China, 
are  absurd.  They  impart  an  air  of  gayety,  to  say  the 
least,  to  Brattle  Street.  In  the  old  tune  Portugal,  they 
are  guilty  of  positive  levity. 

Sixthly,  the  use  of  a  supplementary  line  in  the  compo- 
sition of  the  tune,  by  which  it  becomes  necessary  to 
repeat  one  of  the  lines  of  every  stanza  which  is  sung 
in  it.  The  tune-maker  knows  that  his  tune  is  to  be 
sung  in  a  stanza  of  four  lines  only,  but  he  does  not 
succeed  in  making  his  musical  thought  complete  in  the 
short  space  of  four  lines,  and  he  therefore  adds  a  line. 
The  composer  who  writes  five  lines  of  notes  for  every 
four  lines  of  words,  either  lacks  the  power  of  concise 
writing,  or  he  intentionally  exalts  the  tune  above  the 
hymn. 


392  HELPS   FOR  WEAK  TUNES. 

All  these  musical  conceits  which  have  now  been 
indicated  are  a  hinderance  rather  than  a  help  to  the 
spirit  of  devotion,  and  very  often  they  may  be  regarded 
as  a  confession,  on  the  part  of  the  composer,  that  his 
tune  is  an  inferior  one.  He  perceives  the  want  of  any 
real  merit  in  it,  and  then  tries  to  compensate  for  this 
by  some  pretty  conceit  thrown  in  here  and  there,  and 
by  something  striking  in  his  rhythm.  We  often  dis- 
cover in  literary  composition  a  painful  effort  after 
intensity  of  style.  It  is  shown  by  a  redundance  of 
adjectives,  superlatives,  and  striking  phrases,  which  are 
the  more  multiplied  wherever  the  page  lacks  weight 
and  vigor  of  thought.  Such  is  the  labor  of  the  tune- 
maker  whose  material  consists  chiefly  of  dots,  ties, 
suspensions,  triplets,  rests,  fugues,  syncopations,  solos, 
duets,  and  the  use  of  supplementary  lines. 

A  tune  for  the  congregation  must  be  natural  as  well 
as  simple.  It  must  be  the  opposite  of  whatever  is 
forced  and  far-fetched.  The  remark  often  made,  upon 
hearing  a  new  tune,  that  "  it  sounds  familiar,  and  re- 
sembles some  other  tune  that  we  have  heard,"  is  some- 
times more  complimentary  to  the  composer  than  it  was 
intended  to  be.  The  love  of  originality  in  young  com- 
posers, if  they  have  not  positive  genius,  too  often  leads 
to  the  production  of  cheap  oddities  and  eccentricities, 
entertaining  at  first  to  lovers  of  mere  novelty,  but 
really  as  unworthy  of  the  countenance  of  a  sober  crit- 
icism as  they  are  unfit  for  the  solemn  service  of  the 
house  of  God. 

But,  what  is  more  to  our  present  purpose,  these 
novelties  in  music  discourage  and  bewilder  a  large 
class  of  worshippers,  who  can  sing  only  as  they  lean 
upon  other  voices.     Tunes  intended  for  the  congrega- 


THE  MELODY  OF  THE  TUNES.  393 

tion  should  be  so  natural  in  the  progression  of  the 
notes  as  to  invite  the  confidence  of  the  unpractised 
and  timid,  many  of  whom,  now  silent  through  fear, 
would,  by  a  proper  style  of  tune,  be  encouraged  to  cast 
their  voices  upon  the  general  current  of  song,  not 
doubting  that  they  would  be  borne  along  safely  upon 
its  even,  steady,  and  majestic  flow. 

A  tune  for  the  congregation  must  be  easi/  to  sing'.  It 
must  not  be  so  high  or  so  low  as  to  tax  severely  the 
voices,  or  so  slow  as  to  fatigue  them,  and  prevent  a 
vigorous  and  well-sustained  performance  of  five  or  six 
stanzas.  There  must  be  in  the  treble  or  leading  part 
a  clearly-defined  melody,  readily  discovered  by  the  ear, 
pleasing  and  inviting  to  the  voice.  This  is  really  in- 
dispensable ;  for  if  those  voices  which  are  led  more  by 
the  ear  than  by  the  eye  (and  they  are  not  few),  attempt 
to  sing  a  proper  choir  tune  in  which  the  melody  is 
adroitly  distributed  among  the  four  parts,  they  will  be 
quickly  confused  and  put  to  silence. 

The  melody  should  consist  mostly  of  small  intervals. 
If  large  ones  are  used,  they  should  be  natural,  and 
should  occur  in  such  relations  as  to  be  easily  measured 
by  the  voice.  The  Old  Hundredth  is  a  good  tune  in 
this  respect,  having  only  one  large  interval,  and  that  a 
fifth.  We  are  not  to  expect  vocal  exploits  by  the  con- 
gregation, and  they  would  be  quite'  out  of  place  if  we 
could  have  them.  Those  venturesome  leaps  of  the 
voice  across  the  chasm  of  strange  intervals,  like  the 
distance  from  A  flat  up  to  F  in  the  tune  Rest,  re- 
minds one  of  a  passage  in  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  in 
which  the  Ohio  is  crossed  by  hazardous  leaps  upon 
floating  pieces  of  ice.  If  they  are  well  done,  we  are 
left  in  wonderment ;  and  until  they  are  well  done  we 
are  trembling  for  the  performers. 


394  CHARACTER  OF  THE  MELODY. 

The  melody  should,  as  a  general  thing,  be  continuous 
and  smoothly  flowing.  It  should  not  cease,  and  give 
way  to  monotone,  as  it  must  when  repeated  tones 
are  used,  like  those  in  the  second  line  of  the  Old 
Hundredth,  in  the  first  and  second  lines  of  Meribah, 
and  in  all  tunes  written  in  the  chanting  style.  Repeated 
tones  are  monotonous,  and  they  are  not  usually  sung 
in  good  time. 

One  of  the  best  examples  of  a  smoothly  flowing  melody 
is  seen  in  the  tune  Phuvah.  Contrast  this  with  the 
tune  Christmas  in  E  flat,  ascribed  to  Handel.  Who 
could  hesitate  in  choosing  between  these  two  for  the  use 
of  a  large  congregation  ?  The  leading  impression  of 
good  congregational  singing  is  not  beautiful,  or  sprightly, 
or  wild,  or  fantastic,  but  grand.  It  is  like  what  we  feel 
in  standing  on  the  bank  of  a  large  river,  with  smooth 
surface  and  a  steady,  uniform  progress.  There  are 
eddies  and  rapids  and  falls,  and  we  enjoy  all  these,  but 
they  are  only  occasional ;  the  general  course  of  the 
stream  is  smoothly  and  majestically  onward,  its  broad 
bed  dropping  its  level  by  almost  imperceptible  grada- 
tions toward  the  sea.  Here  is  a  path  for  ships  ;  and 
such  a  path  the  congregation  must  have,  for  the  con- 
gregation is  something  more  than  a  skiff;  and  the 
stream  of  melody  which  floats  it  should  be  like  a  river 
near  the  sea,  and  not  like  a  mountain  brook. 

A  model  tune  for  the  congregation  would  unques- 
tionably be  written  in  common  time.  The  objection  to 
triple  time  arises  from  its  slowness,  and  failure  of  ordi- 
nary singers  to  sustain,  properly,  the  first  two  parts  of 
the  measure,  when  they  are  united  either  in  a  single 
note  or  by  two  tied  notes.  Ravenscroft's  collection  of 
a  hundred  and  fifty  psalm  tunes  contained  only  five 


RHYTHM.  395 

tunes  in  triple  measure.  "  The  triple  measure,"  says 
the  Rev  Mr.  Havergal,  "requires  skilful  vocalists.  It 
requires  a  degree  of  sustaining  power  which  crude 
singers  know  nothing  about."  Any  one  may  perceive 
the  truth  of  this  remark  in  the  singing  of  such  tunes 
as  Abridge,  Barby,  Balerma,  Howard,  Rothwell.  Often 
have  we  heard  the  old  tune  Mear,  in  triple  measure, 
sung  in  such  a  manner  that  one  could  hardly  tell 
whether  it  was  intended  to  be  sung  in  triple  time  or 
common  time.  There  are  other  forms  of  triple  meas- 
ure, however,  one  of  which  is  represented  by  Hebron, 
and  another  by  the  Italian  Hymn,  which  are  not  open 
to  the  objections  here  specified. 

Tunes  in  common  time,  having  the  initial  and  termi- 
nal notes  of  each  line  long^  and  all  the  rest  shorty  present 
the  best  possible  rhythmic  form  for  the  congregation. 
This  is  the  ancient  form  of  the  Old  Hundredth,  St. 
Anns,  Tallis,  and  the  whole  class  of  old  tunes  which 
these  represent,  but  which  have  been  much  changed 
and  sung  for  two  or  three  generations  past  in  notes 
of  equal  length,  and  all  of  them  long.  The  labor 
of  singing  them  in  this  manner,  when  more  than 
three  or  four  stanzas  were  to  be  sung,  has  always 
been  tiresome.  For  this  reason,  the  tunes  have,  as  a 
class,  fallen  in  great  measure  into  disuse.  Excellent 
as  they  are  acknowledged  to  be,  they  are  avoided 
on  account  of  their  slowness.  Even  the  Old  Hun- 
dredth, of  which  it  is  sai^  that  it  would  be  difficult 
to  find  a  parish  in  England  or  Scotland  (and  we 
might  add,  or  in  America)  in  which  it  is  not  known 
and  admired,  is  not  sung  often.  It  is  reserved  for  great 
occasions,  on  which  there  are  voices  enough  to  sustain 
a  slow  movement,  and  for  the  doxology,  which  has  but 
one  stanza.     Many  a  feebler  tune  does  more  service 


396  GREATER  SPEED   IN  SINGING. 

than  the  Old  Hundredth.  But,  "  originally ^^^  says  Mr. 
Havergal,  "  this  tune  was  regarded  as  the  liveliest  and 
most  cheerful  in  the  whole  psalter.  Now^  it  is  sung  in 
a  heavy,  drawling  manner ;  and  so  inveterate  is  this 
custom,  that  we  do  not  seem  to  see  how  inconsistent 
it  is  with  the  jubilant  character  of  the  psalm."  Again, 
he  remarks,  "  The  old  singers  sang  at  a  greater  speed 
than  modern  singers.  A  dozen  verses,  reduced  to  six 
by  a  double  tune,  formed  a  very  moderate  portion  for 
one  occasion.  TJie  modern  drawl  makes  four  single 
verses  quite  long  enough." 

Let  the  question  be  asked,  whether  there  is  really 
any  good  reason  for  being  four  or  five  times  as  long 
in  singing  a  hymn,  as  we  are  in  a  proper  and  impres- 
sive reading  of  it  ?  The  mind  takes  in  the  meaning 
of  the  hymn  as  rapidly  as  the  hymn  is  ordinarily  read, 
and  if  a  great  deal  more  time  is  allowed  by  the 
tune,  the  mind  becomes  listless,  the  tones  languid,  and 
the  act  of  praise  inanimate  and  dull.  •"  It  were  to  be 
wished,"  said  Dr.  Watts,  "  that  we  might  not  dwell  so 
long  on  every  note,  and  produce  the  same  syllables  to 
such  a  tiresome  extent,  with  a  constant  uniformity  of 
time,  which  disguises  the  music,  and  puts  the  singers 
quite  out  of  breath  ;  whereas,  if  the  method  of  singing 
were  but  reformed  to  a  greater  speed  of  pronunciation, 
we  might  often  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  a  longer  psalm 
with  less  expense  of  time  and  breath,  and  our  psalmody 
would  be  more  agreeable  to^that  of  the  ancient  churches^ 
more  intelligible  to  others,  and  more  delightful  to  our- 
selves." 

By  restoring  the  tunes,  to  which  Dr.  Watts  here 
refers,  to  their  old  rhythmic  form,  in  which  they  may 
be  sung  about  twice  as  fast  as  we  have  been  accus- 


STRONG  TUNES.  397 

tomed  to  sing  them,  they  may  be  brought  into  frequent 
use,  and  become,  as  they  surely  must,  the  most  service- 
able and  satisfactory  tunes  which  congregations  can 
use.  Long  hymns  may  be  used  in  them  without 
fatigue,  and  without  the  mutilation  of  the  hymns  by 
the  omission  of  stanzas.  The  words  will  be  uttered 
with  greater  distinctness,  and  the  singing,  while  it  will 
be  marked  with  increased  animation,  will  not  incur  the 
charge  of  lightness.  The  long  initial  and  terminal 
notes  will  preserve  its  dignity.  "  This  old  notation," 
says  an  English  organist,  "  is  earnestly  recommended, 
for  the  reason  that  when  the  first  and  last  notes  of 
each  strain  are  longer  than  the  others,  the  tune  may  be 
sung  with  considerable  spirit  without  being  divested 
of  one  particle  of  its  solemnity."  It  is  pleasant  to 
know  that  "  this  old  notation  "  belongs  exclusively  to 
psalmody,  and  has  no  secular  associations  whatever. 

Tunes  for  the  congregation  should  be  characterized 
by  strength.  They  should  be  like  the  large  timbers 
which  are  used  in  the  bottom  of  a  frame,  capable  of 
bearing  all  the  pressure  that  can  be  put  upon  them. 
Without  attempting  to  show  by  any  analysis  what  the 
strength  of  a  tune  is,  it  will  be  safe  to  say  that  the 
Old  Hundredth,  Dundee,  St.  Anns,  Monmouth,  Windsor, 
Canterbury,  Tallis,  Phuvah,  Bava,  are  strong  tunes. 
By  looking  at  their  structure,  we  may  derive  profitable 
suggestions  in  regard  to  the  style  of  tune  which  is 
most  suitable  for  a  congregation.  It  is  worthy  of 
notice  that  strength  of  musical  thought,  in  these  ex- 
amples, assumes,  as  it  naturally  would,  a  very  simple 
garb  of  expression.  They  are  perfectly  plain  tunes. 
They  admirably  illustrate    the    simplicity  which    has 

34 


898  SPIRITED   TUNES. 

already  been  defined.  They  have  no  dots,  ties,  suspen- 
sions, or  duets.  They  present  a  strictly  syllabic  union 
of  words  with  notes.  They  have  no  more  lines  than 
are  required  by  the  metres  in  which  they  are  written. 
They  are  in  common  time.  The  melodies  consist 
mostly  of  short  intervals.  Their  melodic  compass  is 
so  moderate,  that  it  is  easy  for  the  voices  that  sing 
them  to  bring  out  their  strength;  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  their  being  in  common  time  rather  than  in 
triple  time.  Their  rhythmic  notation,  as  it  originally 
stood,  was  that  of  the  long  and  short  notes,  already 
described,  of  which  Mr.  Havergal  says,  "  it  is  generi- 
cally  the  old  form,  the  traditional  one^  and  the  only  one 
which  all  singers  feel  to  be  naturaV^ 

It  will  by  no  means  be  maintained  that  a  tune  can- 
not be  strong,  or  suitable  for  a  congregation,  without 
being  rigidly  adjusted  to  the  pattern  here  presented. 
But  the  union  of  strength  and  simplicity,  in  tunes  of 
such  acknowledged  excellence,  is  a  significant  fact,  and 
is  sufficient  for  a  practical  suggestion. 

Tunes  for  the  congregation  should  be  spirited.  What 
Charnock  says  against  "frozen  and  benumbed  frames," 
in  the  worship  of  God,  may  very  properly  be  applied 
to  singing  his  praise.  He  says ;  "  Dulness  is  against 
the  light  of  nature.  I  do  not  remember  that  the 
heathen  ever  offered  a  snail  to  any  of  their  false  deities, 
nor  an  ass,  but  to  Priapus,  their  unclean  idol ;  but  the 
Persians  sacrificed  to  the  sun  a  horse,  a  swift  and 
generous  creature.  God  provided  against  those  in  the 
law,  commanding  an  ass's  firstling,  the  offering  of  a 
sluggish  creature,  to  be  redeemed  or  his  neck  broke ; 
but  by  no  means  to  be  offered  to  him." 


MINOR  TUNES.  399 

Again,  quoting  the  verse,  "  This  is  the  day  which  the 
Lord  hath  made ;  we  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  it ; " 
he  adds,  "  A  lumpish  frame  becomes  not  a  day  and  a 
duty  that  hath  so  noble  and  spiritual  a  mark  upon  it." 
"  There  is  a  joy  when  the  comforts  of  God  are  dropped 
into  the  soul  as  oil  upon  the  wheel,  which,  indeed, 
makes  the  faculties  move  with  more  speed  and  activity 
in  his  service,  like  the  chariots  of  Ammi-Nadib." 

May  it  not  be  said  with  truth  that  the  wheels  of  our 
musical  chariots  need  oiling  ?  While  the  act  of  prais- 
ing God  in  song  is  in  its  nature  the  most  joyous  service 
that  belongs  to  our  public  worship,  there  is  in  many  of 
our  churches  scarcely  a  fault  that  so  much  needs  cor- 
rection as  that  of  a  dull  and  spiritless  performance. 
The  hymns  are  sung  w^ith  such  "drowsy  powders,"  that 
the  "  hosannas  languish "  and  the  "  devotion  dies." 
And  this  fault  arises  in  great  measure  from  the  kind 
of  tunes  which  are  sung.  They  are  either  too  slow,  or 
they  are  weak,  or  they  are  empty  and  characterless. 

In  a  collection  of  tunes  for  the  congregation,  there 
should  be  variety.  The  harp  of  the  human  sensibilities 
has  a  great  number  of  strings,  and  each  string  is  capa- 
ble of  many  tones.  The  music  which  is  provided  for 
this  harp  to  play  should  go  through  a  wide  range  of 
expression,  or  it  will  dishonor  the  capacity  of  this  noble 
instrument.  While  the  great  majority  of  the  tunes 
should  be  suited  to  express  the  cheerful  emotions,  the 
collection  would  be  sadly  deficient  without  a  frequent 
use  of  the  minor  key. 

The  rich  resources  of  this  tender  musical  scale  have 
been  greatly  underrated,  and  greatly  neglected.  This 
is  owing  partly  to  the  want  of  musical  culture,  partly 


400  KANGE   OF   THE   MINOR   KEY. 

to  the  want  of  refined  and  delicate  sensibility,  partly  to 
the  habit  of  associating  minor  tunes  only  with  sad  and 
funereal  occasions,  and  partly,  also,  to  the  want  of  that 
deep  religious  experience  which  teaches  what  it  is  to  cry 
unto  God  out  of  the  depths  of  penitence,  of  spiritual 
desertion,  and  of  irrepressible  longing. 

Music  is  like  a  magnetic  needle.  The  major  and 
minor  scales  are  its  positive  and  negative  poles.  And 
there  is  in  the  mind  a  sort  of  musical  polarity  correspond- 
ing to  these  poles,  but  changeful,  and  differently  affected 
at  different  times  by  the  presence  of  either  of  them.  At 
one  time  it  attracts  what  at  another  time  it  repels. 
The  resounding  strains  of  Zion  could  not  be  sung  in 
Babylon.  And  there  are  seasons  of  darkness  and  of 
spiritual  captivity  in  the  experience  of  many  a  Chris- 
tian, when  a  bright  and  gleeful  song  is  "as  vinegar 
upon  nitre."  The  rich  minor  tune  is  the  song  with 
which  a  heavy  heart  is  in  quickest  sympathy. 

But  the  range  of  the  minor  key  is  not  limited  to 
mournful  and  pathetic  expression  :  it  extends  to  all  the 
softened  and  subdued  feelings  which  belong  to 
Christian  experience.  Many  hymns  that  are  prayers, 
are  most  appropriately  sung  in  it.  Humility  and  con- 
fession belong  to  it.  Reverence  before  the  infinite 
Majesty  is  very  impressively  uttered  by  it.  Nor  have 
we  exhausted  its  powers  even  then  ;  for,  while  it  is  emi- 
nently fitted  to  express  all  the  lowly  attitudes  of  the 
mind,  it  is  by  no  means  to  be  confined  to  them. 

Upon  this  point  there  is  great  and  gross  misappre- 
hension. It  is  a  common  impression  that  there  is  a 
weakness  in  this  key,  which  unfits  it  for  use  except 
when  the  soul  is  bowed  down  and  bereft  of  strength. 
It  has  served  us  so  often  at  such  times,  that  we  think 


SABBATH  HYMN  AND  TUNE  BOOK.        401 

it  can  do  nothing  else.  But,  in  truth,  it  has  a  strength 
and  dignity  which  do  not  yield  to  the  major  by  one 
particle.  It  is  not  vivacious,  and  not  naturally  cheer- 
ful, but  neither  is  it  always  sad.  It  is  sedate,  thought- 
ful, majestic.  It  has  its  tremulous  plaint  and  its  sym- 
pathizing wail ;  but  open  its  deeper  registers,  and  you 
hear  successions  and  combinations  of  tone,  whose 
grandeur  lifts  the  soul.  It  can  stoop  to  soothe  us  in 
our  troubles,  or  it  can  open  its  broad  wing  and  rise 
with  us  to  the  loftiest  forms  of  adoration.  The  highest 
sublimity  often  seeks  its  aid,  and  is  at  home  amid  its 
solemn  chords,  like  proud  keels  in  the  bosom  of  swell- 
ing waves. 

§  13.  Illustrations  of  the  preceding  Remarks. 

The  tunes  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  and  Tune  Book, 
appear  to  have  been  prepared  with  a  steady  eye  toward 
the  principles  which  we  have  now  laid  down.  It  has 
not  fully  adopted  these  principles,  but  it  has  made  a 
decided  advance  towards  them. 

Probably  it  has  advanced  far  enough  in  this  direc- 
tion for  the  present ;  quite  as  far  as  will  be  appreciated 
by  congregations  whose  taste  has  been  exclusively 
formed  upon  the  prevailing  choir  tunes.  What  we 
have  to  say  in  commendation  of  this  book  will  be 
spoken  of  its  leading  characteristics^  and  not  of  every 
individual  tune  in  it;  for  evidently  there  are  tunes  here 
which  were  not  introduced  upon  their  merits,  but 
merely  because  of  the  popular  demand  for  them.  On 
the  whole,  however,  the  book  furnishes  many  illustra- 
tions of  the  principles  which  we  have  endeavored  to 
advocate. 

34* 


402  EXAMPLES   OF  GOOD  TUNES. 

1.  It  demonstrates  that  there  can  be  for  the  people  a 
collection  of  simple,  easy  tunes  which  are,  nevertheless, 
in  the  highest  degree  respectable  as  musical  compositions. 
See,  for  examples,  the  following  list: — Alpheus,  Sidney, 
Holbein,  St.  Michael,  St.  Nicholas,  Kepler,  Nilo,  Barrow, 
Holland,  Strand,  Pekin,  Elbe,  Wall,  Deal,  St.  Nicolai, 
Arnon,  Tiber,  Kelvin,  Monmouth,  Huron,  Bingham, 
Erfurt,  Phuvah,  Blois,  Theon,  Butler,  Lyne,  Bethany, 
Agnol,  Brent,  Stanley,  Galena,  Dunfermline,  Sherman, 
Nazareth,  Berry,  Beckford,  Canonbury,  Bonn.  These 
are  tunes  whose  merits  will  not  be  called  in  question. 
Though  generally  simple,  they  are  scientific  in  their 
structure,  and  will  stand  the  ordeal  of  musical  criti- 
cism. Quite  a  number  of  old  and  familiar  tunes,  of 
equal  merit,  are  not  included  in  this  list. 

2.  Eminently  characteristic  of  this  book  are  the 
strength  and  spirit  of  its  tunes.  These  are  their 
marked  and  leading  traits.  While  nothing  is  light 
or  gay,  or  secular  and  undignified  in  them,  they  have 
an  awakening  and  inspiriting  quality  which  eminently 
fits  them  for  the  service  of  praise.  The  following 
are  examples  :  —  Owen,  Theon,  Welt,  Paul,  Kepler, 
Field,  Marden,  Ryle,  Mamre,  White,  Hull,  Roland, 
Mead,  Erskine,  Beckford,  Alfred,  Alford,  Otley,  Fleet- 
Street,  May,  Wayne,  Goodwin,  Longwood,  Cooper, 
Orion,  Tyng,  Bedford,  Durham.  Some  of  these  are 
muscular  and  bold.  There  is  another  class,  not  less 
enlivening  in  their  influence,  perhaps,  than  these,  but 
characterized  rather  by  a  bright  and  joyous  tone,  as  — 
Kitto,  Wales,  Tully,  Oak,  Kelvin,  St.  Nicolai,  Knight. 
In  this  enumeration,  mention  is  made  chiefly  of  new 
tunes,  as  the  old  ones  are  already  known.  The  pre- 
dominance of  such  tunes  as  these  in  this  collection  will 


EXAMPLES  OF  MINOR  TUNES.  403 

infuse  a  new  spirit  into  oar  psalmody,  wherever  the 
book  is  used.  It  will  awaken  a  new  interest  in  the 
singing,  as  a  part  of  worship,  and  will  incline  scores 
of  persons  to  sing  whose  voices  would  never  be  heard 
in  such  tunes  as  Barby,  Blendon,  Shirland,  Park-Street, 
Stonefield.  We  shall  have  strains  more  like  what 
might  have  been  struck  from  the  impassioned  harp  of 
David,  when  he  said,  "  My  lips  shall  greatly  rejoice 
when  I  sing  unto  thee  ; "  "  I  will  offer  in  his  tabernacle 
sacrifices  of  joy." 

3.  There  is  a  good  proportion  of  tunes  in  the  minor 
key  in  this  book.  They  are  about  forty  in  number, 
and  some  of  them  are  used  twice.  They  are  of 
rare  excellence.  They  will  help  the  spirit  of  devo- 
tion, and  will  exert  a  refining  influence.  For  good 
examples  of  minors,  see  Agnol,  Lyne,  Bingham,  Strand, 
Stanley,  Brent,  Hereford,  Stello,  Calvary,  Noel,  Vane, 
Tyne,  Cole,  Wall,  Elliot,  Galena,  Malva,  Canonbury, 
Akland.  Strand  is  a  tune  whose  beautiful  melody 
is  made  very  effiective  by  unisonous  singing. 

4.  A  somewhat  new  feature  of  this  book  is  the  fre- 
quent use  of  double  tunes.  In  these  tunes,  two  stanzas 
are  sung  in  immediate  connection  with  each  other,  with- 
out any  pause  between  them,  and  without  any  inter- 
lude. An  increased  animation  in  singing  will  be  a 
consequence  of  this;  and  as  the  tunesare  quick -moving, 
long  hymns  may  be  sung  in  them,  without  abridgment, 
and  with  less  repetition  of  the  same  strains  of  music 
than  in  single  tunes.  For  good  double  tunes,  see  Al- 
fred, Agnol,  Rayford,  Rayner,  Roland,  Kepler,  Deal, 
Byrd,  Bendon,  Ormond,  Glen,  Cole,  Malta,  Grove, 
Malva. 

5.  Great  pains  has  been  taken  in  this  work  to  provide 


404  MELODIOUS   TREBLES. 

pleasing  melodies.  We  doubt  whether  Dr.  Mason  has 
ever,  in  any  of  his  previous  publications,  devoted  so 
much  care  to  this  point.  It  appears  to  have  been  a 
motto  with  him,  "  The  melody  is  the  tuneP  He  has 
endeavored  to  furnish  melodies  which  could  stand,  as 
such,  independently  of  the  other  parts ;  and  he  has  pre- 
sented them  in  such  bold  relief,  that  those  who  have  an 
ear,  even  if  they  cannot  sing  by  note,  will  easily  dis- 
cover them  and  follow  their  lead.  Repeated  tones,  in 
which  there  can  be  no  melody,  are  generally  avoided, 
and  tunes  in  the  chanting  style  (with  but  one  or  two 
exceptions)  have  been  omitted. 

The  hass^  standing  next  in  importance  to  the  leading 
melody,  has  received  special  attention,  and  has  been 
enlivened  with  more  melody  than  basses  usually  con- 
tain. In  consequence  of  this,  the  two  remaining  parts 
have  a  narrower  function  to  perform,  and  many  who 
now  sing  them  will  prefer  to  sing  upon  the  treble,  —  a 
thing  which,  in  congregational  singing,  is  not  only 
admissible,  but  greatly  to  be  desired.  Alterations  will 
be  found  in  the  bass  of  several  old  tunes,  as  Canter- 
bury, Nuremburg,  Dedham,  Arlington,  Wilmot,  Sicily, 
Stephens,  Lanesboro',  Hebron,  Dover.  The  object  of 
this  is  evidently  twofold.  First,  that  the  harmony  may 
be  more  complete  when  the  treble  and  bass  only  are 
sung ;  and  second,  that  the  bass  may  always  be  kept 
below  the  treble,  although  the  treble  be  sung  an  octave 
below  its  pitch,  as  is  the  case  when  it  is  sung  by  men's 
voices.  For  an  example  of  this,  see  the  small  notes 
in  the  bass  of  Hamburg. 

6.  The  large  number  of  tunes  in  sextuple  measure^  is 
another  peculiarity  of  this  book.  Respectable  tunes 
in  this  movement  are  usually  so  popular,  that  they  need 


VARIETY.  405 

but  little  commendation  to  bring  them  into  favorable 
notice.  The  following  are  good  examples  of  this 
class :  —  Bethany,  Holland,  Alvan,  Anley,  Maitland, 
Ortonville,  Ware,  Bartow,  Abville,  Ell,  Ray,  Rayford. 
Aston,  Holtham,  Malta,  Bonar,  Bayton,  Calbra. 

7.  There  is  an  unusual  variety  of  tunes  in  this  collec- 
tion. This  was  to  be  expected  as  a  legitimate  result 
of  the  plan  of  the  work,  which  required  the  appropriate 
musical  expression  of  all  the  shades  of  religious  feel- 
ing contained  in  so  large  a  collection  of  hymns.  If 
there  is  variety  in  the  hymns,  and  if  there  is  appro- 
priateness in  the  adaptation  of  tunes  to  them,  then 
there  must  be  variety  in  the  tunes.  This  variety  is 
found  in  the  proportion  of  old  and  new  tunes,  in  the 
supply  of  minor  tunes,  in  the  departments  of  melody, 
harmony,  and  rhythm,  and  in  the  very  unusual  number 
of  metrical  forms,  many  of  which  have  never  before 
appeared  in  our  books  of  psalmody.  The  harmonies 
are  rich,  ecclesiastical,  and  in  all  respects  the  best. 
They  show  the  results  of  life-long  study.  If,  for  rea- 
sons already  stated,  there  is,  and  ought  to  be,  but  a 
small  number  of  tunes  in  the  slower  forms  of  triple 
measure,  this  lack  is  compensated  by  a  large  number 
of  excellent  tunes  in  sextuple  measure.  It  is  true  that 
the  old  notation,  already  described,  occurs  very  often, 
as  it  certainly  should;  but,  notwithstanding  this,  the 
rhythmical  varieties  are  great,  and  some  of  them  are 
quite  new.  Of  course  a  greater  variety  might  have 
been  obtained  by  a  liberal  admission  of  all  those  faults 
of  style  to  which  we  have  above  referred  as  at  variance 
with  true  simplicity,  and  by  resorting  to  such  musical 
spicery  and  tiondiment  as  perverted  appetites  crave. 
"We  should  then  have  a  medley  rather  than  a  variety, 


406  THE  CHARGE  OF  SAMENESS. 

and  should  be  keeping  alive  that  unhealthy  and  pru- 
rient taste,  which  so  much  needs  to  be  held  in  check. 
When  it  is  considered  how  severe  a  taste  has  presided 
over  the  introduction  of  tunes  into  this  collection,  and 
how  many  cheap  and  factitious  methods  of  catching 
the  ear  have  been  sternly  rejected,  it  is  matter  of  sur- 
prise that  the  collection  furnishes  a  variety  so  large  and 
rich.  The  result  shows  that  the  most  ample  resources 
must  have  been  at  hand  in  its  preparation,  and  the 
most  indefatigable  industry  exercised  upon  them. 

A  first  glance  at  the  tunes  might  lead  to  the  suppo- 
sition that  there  is  too  much  sameness ;  but  on  further 
examination  it  will  be  found  that  this  can  have  refer- 
ence only  to  the  eye,  or  the  notation,  and  not  to  the  ear. 
The  tunes  are  written  mostly  in  black  notes,  in  order 
to  encourage  a  more  rapid  performance.  If  half  of 
them  had  been  written  in  white  notes,  the  desired 
variety  would  have  appeared  to  the  eye,  while  the  effect 
upon  the  ear  would  have  been  the  same  as  now. 

But  probably  the  impression  of  their  sameness  has 
arisen  from  their  simplicity,  and  from  the  very  frequent 
use  of  that  ancient  rhythmic  notation,  on  the  merits 
of  which  we  have  already  enlarged.  .This  notation 
occurs  so  much  oftener  in  this  book  than  in  any  other 
now  in  use  among  us,  that  it  constitutes  one  of  the 
most  noticeable  peculiarities  of  the  work.  Being  new 
to  us,  it  attracts  attention  unduly,  and  often,  doubt- 
less, to  such  a  degree  that  the  essential  character  of  the 
tunes,  lying  in  their  melodies  and  harmonies,  is  unper- 
ceived.  As  the  rhythmic  form  is  of  course  the  same 
in  every  tune  in  which  it  is  used,  there  is,  to  a  super- 
ficial judgment,  an  appearance  of  sameness  in  the 
tunes  as  a  class,  whatever  richness  of  variety  there  may 


QUALITY  OF  THE  TUNES.  407 

be  in  their  melodies  and  harmonies.  But  the  rhythm 
is  only  the  drapery  of  the  tune.  It  is  to  the  tune 
itself,  what  verse  is  to  thought,  a  mode  of  expression. 
It  may  be  changed,  and  often  is  changed,  without 
affecting  the  identity  of  the  tune.-  In  the  tune  Evan, 
for  example,  one  may  choose  common  time,  and  another 
sextuple  time,  but  the  tune  is  the  same  in  either  dress. 
Dundee,  St.  Anns,  and  all  such  tunes  in  common  time 
might  be  made  to  put  on  the  rhythmical  dress  of 
Hebron.  Their  essential  merit  would  not  be  affected 
by  the  change. 

But  there  is  probably  a  slight  prejudice  in  some 
minds  against  the  restoration  of  this  ancient  rhythm, 
for  the  reason  that  it  changes  the  movement  to  which 
they  have  always  been  accustomed  in  old  and  standard 
tunes.  This  prejudice  is  very  natural,  and  was 
cherished  but  a  few  years  ago  by  those  who  are  now 
zealous  advocates  of  what,  in  every  rational  view  of  it, 
must  appear  the  best  possible  rhythmical  form  for  the 
congregation,  and  what  so  high  an  authority  as  Mr. 
Havergal  pronounces  to  be  "  the  only  one  which  all 
singers  feel  to  be  natural."  It  is  the  belief  of  the 
writer  of  these  pages,  that  the  charge  of  sameness  in 
the  tunes  of  the  Sabbath  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  has 
arisen  mainly  from  the  restoration  of  this  ancient 
rhythm.  If  this  be  true,  the  charge  will  not  long  con- 
tinue to  be  made,  for  it  is  found  that  the  old  notation, 
after  a  very  short  acquaintance  with  it,  is  felt  to  be  in 
every  respect  superior  to  what  has  been  so  aptly  termed 
"the  modern  drawl." 

8.  Some  of  the  tunes,  if  considered  merely  as  musical 
compositions,  may  be  regarded  as  unsatisfactory,  or  as 


408  THE  reformers'  tunes. 

destitute  of  an  artistic  interest.  But  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  they  are  designed  to  be  ecclesiastical  and  con- 
gregational in  their  character.  They  are,  therefore,  char- 
acterized by  a  noble  simplicity,  an  admirable  fitness  for 
the  purposes  of  devotion,  and  a  most  commendable 
adaptation  to  the  musical  capacity  of  the  great  ma- 
jority of  singers ;  and  that  they  are  as  musically  rich 
and  varied  as  they  could  be  consistently  with  sim- 
plicity, devotion,  and  successful  congregational  use. 
Actual  use  by  the  congregation  is  to  be  the  test  of  their 
worth.  This  is  the  only  proper  criterion  by  which  to 
judge  them.  A  few  voices  using  them  at  the  social 
fireside  may  not  discover  their  value.  They  are  made 
for  the  great  congregation,  and  for  a  multitude  of 
voices;  and  when  a  multitude  of  voices  are  heard  upon 
them  with  such  "loud  noise"  and  "joyful  noise"  as 
the  psalmist  desired,  when,  in  addition  to  all  the  force 
of  vocal  and  instrumental  chorus  which  could  be 
gathered,  he  called  upon  the  sea  to  roar  with  all  its 
fulness,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  simplest  and  strongest 
tunes  are  not  only  the  best  for  devotional  effect,  but 
that  under  such  a  weight  of  intonation  they  are  the 
most  satisfying  to  the  ear. 

Tunes  less  simple  than  these  could  not  be  sung  by 
the  people  generally,  while  such  tunes  as  these  may, 
with  suitable  painstaking,  be  sung  everywhere.  The 
tunes  which  the  Reformers  introduced  were  such  as 
the  Old  Hundredth  and  Monmouth,  in  the  very  form, 
rhythmically,  in  which  they  now  appear  in  the  Sabbath 
Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  and  the  people  did  sing  them  — 
sang  them  in  the  churches  and  schools,  in  the  streets 
and  fields.  We  have  only  to  imitate  the  example  of 
the  Reformers  in  regard  to  the  kind  of  tune  which  we 
set  before  the  people,  in  order  to  be  as  successful  in 


ENGLISH   CHURCH  MUSIC.  409 

congregational  song,  other  things  being  equal,  as  they 
were. 

Those  tunes  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  and  Tune  Book 
which  constitute  its  chief  peculiarity,  resemble  more 
nearly  the  tunes  which  were  used  by  the  Reformers, 
than  those  of  any  other  collection  within  our  knowl- 
edge. The  bold  thought,  the  earnest  piety,  the  martyr- 
like courage  and  strength  of  will,  which  produced  and 
pushed  forward  the  Reformation  in  the  face  of  the 
papal  world,  found  its  musical  expression  in  those 
strong  and  simple  structures  which  could,  and  some- 
times did,  bear  the  roll  of  thousands  of  voices  in  uni- 
son. And  it  is  known  that  these  tunes  produced  the 
taste,  in  England,  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  for  music  of  that  simple,  solid  character,  which 
distinguishes  what  is  known  as  the  School  of  English 
Church  Music,  the  purest  and  highest  type  of  a  gen- 
uine ecclesiastical  style  which  has  ever  existed.  That 
style  of  sacred  song  with  which  are  connected  the  im- 
mortal names  of  Tye,  Tallis,  Farrant,  Byrd,  Morley, 
and  Orlando  Gibbons,  whose  works  are  classics,  and 
"  who  laid  the  foundation  on  which  are  built  the  stu- 
pendous choruses  of  Handel's  oratorios,"  may  be  said 
to  have  had  its  birth  in  the  glow  of  Luther's  heart  and 
the  strength  of  Luther's  thought.  It  was  a  style  which 
found  congenial  soil  in  the  English  national  character. 
It  was  consistent  with  its  manly  strength.  And  every 
step  which  is  taken,  by  the  compilers  of  our  collections 
of  church  music,  toward  a  return  to  that  style,  from 
the  weaker,  the  secular,  the  sentimental  styles  which 
the  foreign  and  worldly  tastes  of  southern  Europe  have 
furnished,  should  be  hailed  with  gratitude  and  delight. 
It  has  been  supposed  that  whatever  bears  the  name  of 

35 


410  DR.    CROTCH. 

such  composers  as  Haydn  and  Mozart  is  fit  for  the 
Sabbath  and  the  sanctuary ;  and  our  books  of  psahnody 
have  been  filled  with  extracts  from  the  masses  of  such 
composers,  written  in  operatic  style,  and  for  papal  ears 
that  were  too  worldly  to  enjoy  the  noble  strains  of  their 
own  Palestrina.  These  extracts  with  which  our  tune- 
books  have  been  flooded  are  neither  ecclesiastical  nor 
English,  and  they  should  be  rejected  just  as  fast  as  the 
public  taste  can  be  educated  to  something  better. 
Protestant  churches  should  be  as  far  from  the  Papal 
church  in  the  character  of  their  songs,  as  they  are  in 
ritual  and  creed. 

A  renowned  English  scholar  and  musician.  Dr. 
Crotch,  has  spoken  so  ably  and  so  truthfully  upon  this 
point,  that  we  cannot  forbear  calling  in  his  testimony. 
He  says : 

"  The  psalms  used  and  composed  by  the  Reformers, 
and  those  by  their  immediate  successors  in  this  king- 
dom, together  with  those  made  in  imitation  of  these 
pure  sacred  strains,  are  alone  worthy  of  study;  while 
all  the  Magdalen  and  Foundling  Hymns,  with  psalms 
made  out  of  songs,  glees,  quartets,  in  drawling,  whin- 
ing, minuet-like  strains,  with  two  or  three  notes  to  each 
syllable,  full  of  modern  and  chromatic  discords,  should 
be  denounced  and  utterly  abolished. 

"As  long  as  the  pure  sublime  style,  the  style  pecu- 
liarly suited  to  the  church  service,  was  cherished,  which 
was  only  to  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  we  consider  the  ecclesiastical  style  to  be  in  a 
state  of  perfection  ;  but  it  has  been  gradually  and  im- 
perceptibly losing  its  character  ever  since.  Improve- 
ments have,  indeed,  been  made  in  the  contexture  of 


THE  TRUE   CHURCH  STYLE.  411 

the  score,  in  the  flow  of  melody,  in  the  accentuation 
and  expression  of  words,  in  the  beauty  of  the  solo, 
and  the  delicacy  of  the  accompaniment,  but  these  are 
not  indications  of  the  sublime  ;  church  music,  there- 
fore, is  on  the  decline.  The  remedy  is  obvious.  Let 
the  young  composer  study  the  productions  of  the  sixteenth 
and  seventeenth  centuries  in  order  to  acquire  the  true 
church  style^  which  should  always  be  sublime  and  sci- 
entific. But  I  must  caution  him  that  he  will  probably 
be  disappointed  at  first  hearing  them.  He  will  meet 
with  critics  and  writers  who  assert  that  whatever  does 
not  produce  effect  cannot  be  worthy  of  our  admiration  ; 
but  the  sublime,  in  every  art,  though  less  attractive  at 
first,  is  most  deserving  of  regard.  For  this  quality  does 
not  strike  and  surprise^  dazzle  and  amuse,  but  it  elevates 
and  expands  the  mind,  filling  it  with  awe  and  wonder, 
not  always  suddenly,  but  in  proportion  to  the  study 
bestowed  upon  it.  The  more  it  is  known,  the  more  it 
will  be  understood,  approved,  admired,  venerated,  —  I 
might  almost  say,  adored." 

9.  The  tunes  in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  and  Tune 
Book  are  suitable  for  children.  They  have  simplicity, 
vivacity,  variety,  and  pleasing  melodies;  and  their 
chaste  and  church-like  character  qualifies  them  to 
exert  a  much-needed  influence  in  the  formation  of  a 
correct  taste.  In  many  of  our  Sabbath  schools,  the 
musical  taste  of  the  children  is  formed  upon  models 
which  are  far  enough  from  being  either  sacred  or  classic. 
In  the  preparation  of  the  thousands  of  Sabbath  school 
tune-books  which  have  been  scattered  throughout  the 
land,  the  great  object  seems  to  have  been  to  provide 
music  which  would  please  the  children.     If  teachers 


412  children's  music. 

and  superintendents  are  remonstrated  with  for  using 
such  airs  as  Hail  Columbia,  the  Marseilles  Hymn,  and 
even  well-known  convivial  and  drinking  songs,  and 
"  negro  songs,"  they  reply  that  "  the  children  like  them ; " 
and  this  seems  to  be  thought  a  sufficient  reason  for 
introducing  them. 

"  The  past  connection  of  these  airs  with  secular 
words  is  not  the  only,  nor  always  the  greatest  objection 
to  them.  They  are  not  adapted  to  the  expression  of 
sacred  words,  and  are  unfit  for  use  as  sacred  music. 
The  evil  accomplished  is  one  that  extends  through  the 
whole  life  of  the  children ;  for  tastes  and  ideas  formed 
in  childhood  are  not  easily  changed  in  later  years ;  they 
get  wrong  impressions  as  to  the  uses  of  music  in 
church  ;  the  distinction  between  music  which  has  for 
its  object  the  mere  gratification  of  the  senses,  and  that 
which  has  a  sacred  purpose,  is  utterly  destroyed.  It  is 
not  strange  that,  under  such  circumstances  there  should 
be  so  strong  a  tendency  in  our  sacred  song  to  degen- 
erate into  a  mere  pastime.  We  hear  it  used  as  a  pas- 
time in  childhood,  and  come  to  regard  this  as  its  proper 
use.  It  is  quite  likely  that  children  may  not  as  eagerly 
engage  in  proper  church  music  as  they  do  in  the  jigs, 
ditties,  and  negro  songs  which  are  now  so  much  used 
in  Sabbath  schools,  but  if  properly  trained  they  will 
like  more  appropriate  music,  and  as  they  grow  older, 
their  tastes  being  properly  formed,  they  will  have  a 
true  idea  and  enjoyment  of  genuine  church  music ; 
that  is,  of  music  appropriately  used  for  the  expression 
of  religious  thought  and  feeling.  It  is  not  a  question 
of  what  children  like  best,  but  of  what  is  best  for 
them.  We  are  not  condemning  the  use  of  lively, 
cheerful  music  in  Sabbath  schools  or  in  church.     On 


SABBATH  SCHOOL  TUNE  BOOKS.         413 

the  contrary,  the  drawling  way  in  which  many  admira- 
ble tunes,  as  the  Old  Hundredth,  for  instance,  are  too 
often  sung,  is  a  great  evil,  and  has  done  much  to  drive 
them  out  of  use.  When  we  are  expressing  in  song 
cheerful  feelings,  secular  or  sacred,  the  music  must  cor- 
respond, or  it  will  be  inappropriate ;  but  there  is  a  fit- 
ness of  things,  and  there  are  many  airs,  and  these  very 
popular,  which  are  not  adapted  to  the  expression  of 
any  religious  feeling  whatever,  joyful  or  sad. 

"  Generally  it  is  better  that  the  same  tunes  should 
be  used  in  the  Sabbath  school,  which  are  used  in  the 
religious  services  of  the  church  with  which  it  is  con- 
nected. The  children  are  thus  prepared  to  take  their 
part  with  the  great  congregation,  and  the  identity  of 
the  songs  they  use  with  those  used  in  the  more  formal 
worship  has  also  a  good  influence  upon  them.  If  these 
tunes  are  proper  ones,  and  are  properly  sung,  they  will 
be  interesting  and  cheerful ;  there  will  not  be  difficulty 
on  this  score ;  but,  even  should  there  be,  it  is  better  to 
sacrifice  something  in  this  way  than  in  matters  of 
more  importance ;  better  that  the  music  should  be 
less  attractive  than  that  its  attraction  should  be  evil. 

"  We  are  sure  that  many  of  these  Sabbath  school 
tune-books  are  accomplishing  great  evil  to  the  cause 
of  church  music.  '  It  is  not  wonderful  that  children 
so  educated  should  look  for  mere  musical  excite- 
ment and  diversion  in  church  music  when  they  arrive 
at  maturer  years,  instead  of  aiming  at  anything  like 
religious  benefit." 

10.  The  Sabbath  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  exhibits  a 
striking  appropriateness  in  the  adaptation  of  hymns  to 
tunes.     Evidently  the  great  burden  of  labor  in  the  im- 

35* 


414  ADAPTATION   OF   HYMNS   TO   TUNES. 

mediate  preparation  of  the  book  has  fallen  upon  this 
department.  To  adjust  twelve  hundred  and  ninety 
hymns  to  tunes  appropriately,  that  is,  with  discernment 
of  the  real  character  of  each  hymn,  and  of  the  musical 
notation  which  it  requires  for  its  most  effective  utter- 
ance in  song,  was  no  light  undertaking.  It  was  a 
work  requiring  long  experience  and  sound  judgment. 
It  has  received  the  benefit  of  both ;  and  the  result 
shows  a  remarkable  appropriateness,  felicity,  and  one- 
ness of  spirit  between  hymn  and  tune.  That  there  was 
need  of  this  labor  to  be  performed  by  one  who  was 
competent  to  do  it,  let  the  unfit  selection  of  tunes 
which  we  notice  in  our  churches  almost  every  Sabbath 
answer.  Week  after  week  the  best  hymns  in  use  are 
suffering  the  violence  of  being  yoked  with  tunes  with 
which  they  can  have  no  manner  of  sympathy.  Often 
the  tune  does  not  appear  to  be  selected  with  any  refer- 
ence at  all  to  the  hymn,  any  further  than  to  have  it  of 
the  right  metre.  The  choir  leader  consults  merely  his 
own  musical  likings,  or  the  mood  of  mind  in  which  he 
happens  to  be.  If  he  likes  tunes  of  the  dainty  and 
sentimental  sort  best,  we  shall  hear  them  upon  all 
occasions.  We  have  in  mind  a  pretty  tune,  usually, 
and  very  appropriately,  sung  to  the  words  — 

"  By  cool  Slloam's  shady  rill 
How  sweet  the  lily  grows 
How  sweet  the  breath,  beneath  the  hill, 
Of  Sharon's  dewy  rose." 

It  is  not  long  since  we  heard  this  tune  sung,  by  a 
very  respectable  choir  near  Boston,  to  the  hymn  — 


OLD  ASSOCIATIONS.  415 

"  Keep  silence  all  created  things, 
And  wait  your  Maker's  nod ; 
My  soul  stands  trembling  while  she  sings 
The  honors  of  her  Grod. 

"  Life,  death,  and  hell,  and  worlds  unknown, 
Hang  on  his  firm  decree  ; 
He  sits  on  no  precarious  throne, 
Nor  borrows  leave  to  be." 

In  regard  to  the  matter  of  adaptation,  as  it  appears 
in  the  Sabbath  Hymn  and  Tune  Book,  we  notice  sev- 
eral things. 

First.  —  Care  has  been  taken  not  to  violate  old 
associations.  There  are  many  instances  in  which  a 
particular  hymn  has  become  associated,  by  long  usage, 
with  a  particular  tune.  The  hymn  always  suggests 
the  tune,  and  the  tune  the  hymn.  In  such  cases,  both 
will  generally  be  found  upon  the  same  page  in  this 
book. 

For  example,  the  hymn,  "All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus' 
name,"  to  the  tune  Coronation.  The  hymn,  "  How 
pleased  and  blessed  was  I,"  to  the  tune  Dalston.  The 
hymn,  "  Rise,  my  soul,  and  stretch  thy  wings,"  to  the 
tune  Amsterdam.  "  Ye  tribes  of  Adam  join,"  to 
Lenox.  "  Come,  sound  his  praise  abroad,"  to  Silver 
Street.  "  Your  harps,  ye  trembling  saints,"  to  Olmutz. 
"  Majestic  sweetness  sits  enthroned,"  to  Ortonville. 
"  On  the  mountain's  top  appearing,"  to  Zion.  "  There 
is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood,"  to  Cowper.  "  Thus 
far  the  Lord  hath  led  me  on,"  to  Hebron.  "  Broad  is 
the  road  that  leads  to  death,"  to  Windham.  "  Oh 
thou,  to  whom  all  creatures  bow,"  to  St.  Martin's. 
"My  soul,  be  on  thy  guard,"  to  Laban.     "  Come,  thou 


416  ANCIENT   VERSIONS   OF  PSALMS. 

Almighty  King,"  to  Italian  Hymn.  "  The  voice  of  free 
grace,"  to  Scotland.  "  Early,  my  God,  without  delay," 
to  Lanesboro'. 

In  all  the  above  instances,  and  doubtless  many 
others,  the  hymn  and  tune  will  be  found  together  in 
this  book.  If,  however,  we  turn  to  the  tune  Wells,  we 
shall  find  that  it  has  been  separated  from  the  hymn, 
•'  Life  is  the  time  to  serve  the  Lord,"  to  which  it  has 
so  long  been  sung.  The  reason  is  obvious.  The 
character  of  the  tune  Wells  is  lively,  joyous,  bold  ; 
and  the  last  stanza  of  this  hymn  is  wholly  unsuitable 
for  such  a  tune  — 

"  There  are  no  acts  of  pardon  passed 
In  the  cold  grave  to  -which  we  haste ; 
But  darkness,  death,  and  long  despair, 
Reign  in  eternal  silence  there." 

Second.  —  It  is  noticeable  that  hymns  suitable  for 
occasions  of  special  interest,  such  as  Ordination,  Dedi- 
cation, Joining  the  Church,  Baptism,  and  the  Lord's 
Supper,  are  set  to  the  most  familiar  old  tunes,  such 
as  Peterboro',  St.  Martin's,  Dundee,  Ward,  Downs. 
Notice  the  hymns  to  which  these  tunes  are  set,  upon 
pages  183,  381,  233,  45,  165. 

Tliird.  —  An  interesting  connection  is  established,  in 
this  book,  between  old  versions  of  the  psalms  and  the 
oldest  tunes.  The  book  commences  with  the  Old 
Hundredth,  itself  more  than  three  hundred  years  old, 
and  upon  the  same  page  with  it  stand  the  three  most 
noted  versions  of  the  One  Hundredth  Psalm  :  first,  that 
of  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  "All  people  that  on  earth 
do   dwell,"   which  are  the  first   English  words  with 


UNION  OF  OLD  UNISONS  WITH  OLD  TUNES.    417 

which  the  tune  was  ever  sung,  and  which  are  nearly  as 
old  as  the  tune  ;  then,  the  version  of  Tate  and  Brady, 
about  half  as  old,  "  With  one  consent,  let  all  the 
earth  ; "  then,  the  version  of  Watts,  "  Ye  nations  round 
the  earth  rejoice." 

On  the  next  page  is  a  minor,  as  old  as  the  Old 
Hundredth,  to  an  old  version  of  the  Eighty -fourth 
Psalm,  by  Milton,  "  How  lovely  are  thy  dwellings  fair." 
On  the  next  page  is  the  old  tune  Canterbury,  to  a 
hymn  from  Tate  and  Brady.  The  fine  old  Scotch 
tune,  Dunfermline,  stands  with  the  Scotch  version  of 
the  Twenty-third  Psalm,  "  The  Lord 's  my  Shepherd, 
I  '11  not  want,"  to  which  it  was  often  sung  in  the  time 
of  John  Knox.  Both  hymn  and  tune  are,  therefore, 
more  than  three  hundred  years  old.  Upon  the  forty- 
ninth  page  is  the  tune  Canon,  being  the  original  form 
of  the  tune  now  known  in  many  books  as  Tallis's 
Evening  Hymn.  This  tune  is  about  three  hundred 
years  old,  and  is  set  to  hymns  by  Bishop  Kenn.  The 
Thirty-fourth  Psalm,  from  Tate  and  Brady,  commencing, 
"  Through  all  the  changing  scenes  of  life,"  is  set  to  the 
stalwart  old  tune  St.  Ann's. 

Tate  and  Brady's  version  of  the  Sixty -fifth  Psalm, 
"  For  thee,  O  God,  our  constant  praise,"  is  set  to  the 
tune  Bava,  which  is  one  of  the  old  Genevan  tunes 
known  to  have  been  in  common  use  by  the  Pilgrims  in 
1620.  Monmouth  is  restored  to  its  original  form  as 
composed  by  Luther,  and  stands  upon  the  same  page 
with  his  hymn,  "  Great  God,  what  do  I  see  and  hear." 
Lewin,  on  page  350,  to  the  404th  hymn,  is  the  tune 
to  which  this  hymn  has  long  been  sung  in  Germany. 
On  the  115th  page  are  two  hymns  from  the  Latin,  to 
an  old  Roman  minor,  all  of  which  must  be  several 


418  SPECIAL  ADAPTATION. 

centuries  old.  Christmas,  on  page  112,  is  an  English 
Christmas  carol,  seven  or  eight  hundred  years  old.  It 
has  been  sung  two  hundred  years  in  England  to  the 
words,  *'  While  shepherds  watched  their  flocks  by  night." 

Fourth.  —  There  is  an  adaptation  of  tunes  to  pecu- 
liarities of  structure  in  particular  hymns,  which  is 
worthy  of  notice.  See  pages  366,  244,  262,  199,  139, 
110,  where,  in  one  or  more  of  the  hymns,  the  uniform 
repetition  of  the  closing  line  or  lines  in  every  stanza 
requires  a  corresponding  "  refrain  "  in  the  music.  The 
effect  of  this  is  intensive.  See  the  tune  Walford, 
where  the  music  provides  for  a  jubilant  expression  of 
the  words  — 


'  The  year  of  jubilee  is  come, 
Keturn,  ye  ransomed  sinners 


sinners,  home/' 

The  same  effect  in   "  Shining  Shore  "  is  already  well 
known. 

In  the  tune  EUard,  page  259,  there  is  a  special  adap- 
tation in  the  last  line.  Clayton,  page  311,  gives  forci- 
ble expression  to  the  repeated  line  in  the  hymn. 
Owen,  page  74,  has  a  special  adaptation  to  the  339th 
hymn,  in  the  very  strong  musical  emphasis  of  the  last 
line.  The  last  line  of  every  stanza  contains  the  burden 
of  the  hymn,  and  to  this  the  music  corresponds.  The 
boldness  of  the  octave  interval  contributes  largely  to 
this  effect.  See,  also,  the  very  spirited  tune  Welt,  page 
350,  to  hymn  573.  Olden,  page  224,  has  a  special 
adaptation  to  hymns  292  and  298,  in  the  impressive 
utterance  which  is  given  to  the  first  three  syllables  of 
every  stanza.  Notice,  also,  that  this  special  adaptation 
is  not  allowed  to  mar  the  unity  of  the  tune  as  a  whole. 


GENERAL  ADAPTATION.  419 

The  third  line  is  introduced  with  the  same  rhythmic 
form  as  the  first  line,  and  thus  the  proper  balance  of 
the  tune  is  preserved. 

On  pages  146  and  318,  the  emphatic  commencement 
of  each  stanza  in  several  of  the  hymns  is  well  ex- 
pressed by  the  first  four  notes  of  the  tunes  Berne  and 
Ray.  On  page  218,  Dixon  has  a  still  more  striking 
adaptation  to  the  649th  hymn. 

In  some  instances  careful  provision  has  been  made 
for  the  appropriate  utterance  of  difficult  words :  as  the 
word  "  Gethsemane,"  in  the  tune  Morley,  on  page  163, 
and  the  word  "crucified,"  in  the  tune  Worth,  page  216. 
The  voice  is  allowed  to  move  only  a  semitone  in  the 
utterance  of  these  words,  and  thus  not  only  an  easy 
utterance,  but  a  subdued  and  tender  expression  is 
given  in  singing. 

Fifth.  —  There  will  be  found  an  agreement  between 
the  hymns  and  the  tunes,  as  to  the  general  spirit  and 
hnpression  of  each.  Each  hymn  seems  to  have  been 
studied,  its  true  emotional  character  discerned,  and 
such  music  provided  for  it  as  would  best  aid  its  expres- 
sion. Coldly  descriptive  or  didactic  hymns,  if  there 
are  such,  have  not  been  wafted  upon  the  wings  of  sex- 
tuple time ;  nor  are  hymns  of  direct  address  to  God 
made  to  trip  off  in  a  brisk,  chanting  style,  like  the 
words,  "  Thou  dear  Redeemer,  dying  Lamb,"  to  Hus- 
sitan  Chant. 

For  a  good  specimen  of  general  adaptation,  see  the 
vividly  descriptive  hymn,  "  The  Lord  our  God  is  full 
of  might,"  to  the  tune  Ocean,  page  76.  The  energy 
of  all  the  hymns  on  page  74  is  finely  illustrated  in  the 
tune  Owen.     Mossley,   page   388,  breathes  the   same 


420  EXAMPLES    OP   ADAPTATION. 

spirit  of  contentment  which  dictated  Madame  Guyon's 
140th  hymn.  Nilo,  page  164,  has  a  gentleness  of  char- 
acter which  seems  to  have  grown  out  of  the  541st 
hymn,  and  is  a  beautiful  expression  of  it.  The  method 
of  barring,  employed  in  this  and  some  other  tunes  in 
this  book  is  new.  The  effect  of  it  is  peculiar.  It  gives 
a  variety  in  the  measure  which  cannot  be  obtained  by 
that  which  is  found  in  such  tunes  as  Hebron,  Rocking- 
ham, etc.  Preston,  page  266,  is  evidently  intended  for 
Bonar's  hymn,  906,  and  is  an  excellent  adaptation. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  Elbe,  page  140,  to  the  434th 
hymn.  Theon,  page  131,  expresses  the  1225th  hymn 
with  almost  martial  vigor.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
Marden,  page  393,  to  hymn  1022  ;  and  of  White,  page 
283,  in  its  connection  with  the  896th  hymn,  and,  indeed, 
with  all  the  hymns  on  the  page.  Pekin,  Dennis,  Here- 
ford, Zeta,  Severn,  Mamre,  Tully,  Kent,  Yail,  are  all 
good  adaptations  to  the  hymns  connected  with  them. 
See,  also.  Ware,  page  288,  to  the  61st  hymn  ;  Elton, 
page  188,  to  hymn  538 ;  Knight,  page  269,  to  hymn 
264;  Paul,  page  396,  to  hymn  993 ;  Galena,  page  273, 
to  hymn  1147  ;  Epsom,  page  123,  to  the  hymns 
under  it,  and  especially  to  the  first  one.  Elliot,  page 
352,  to  the  hymn,  "Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea," 
has  been  commended  by  the  English  authoress  of  this 
favorite  hymn  as  the  best  of  the  many  musical  adapta- 
tions which  have  been  furnished  for  it.  Leshe,  page 
194,  in  even  time  and  in  the  minor  key,  seems  to  be  the 
appropriate  expression  of  a  narrative  hymn,  whose 
sentiment  is  that  of  penitential  gratitude  — 


"  I  was  a  wandering  sheep, 
I  did  not  love  the  fold." 


THE   TRUE   SPIRIT  OF  A   HYMN.  421 

Deal,  page  32,  in  the  style  of  the  old  English  madri- 
gals, has  a  sweetly  meandering  melody,  and  is  happily 
united  with  Montgomery's  hymn  — 

"  Glad  was  my  heart  to  hear 
My  old  companions  say." 

Both  hymn  and  tune  express  the  content  of  a  pious 
soul  when  in  the  house  of  God  "  With  friends  and 
brethren  dear."  Keeble,  page  79,  is  far  better  for  the 
hymn,  "  Brightest  and  best,"  than  the  old  tune  Folsom. 
The  first  note  in  the  last  line  of  Folsom  is  wholly  im- 
practicable. 

Portuguese  Hymn,  page  270,  a  good  tune  for  con- 
gregational singing  and  a  general  favorite,  is  adapted 
to  several  good  hymns,  so  that  it  may  be  often  used. 
Roland,  page  296,  has  the  same  rhythmic  form  as 
Coronation.  It  has  all  the  spirit  of  that  celebrated 
tune  without  its  faults.  It  is  not  too  high,  does  not 
compel  us  to  sing  the  last  half  of  every  stanza  twice, 
and  does  not  trifle  with  quavers. 

We  would  call  attention  to  an  important  principle 
of  adaptation  seen  on  the  193d  page  in  the  connection 
of  the  tune  Kelvin  with  the  419th  hymn.  The  hymn 
and  tune  are  closely  related  in  character.  A  sunny 
cheerfulness  pervades  them  both.  The  hymn  takes  its 
root  in  the  text,  "  I  am  with  you  alway."  It  is  an 
exhilarating  thought  that  in  all  our  toil  and  trouble,  in 
all  our  darkness  and  loneliness,  Christ  is  with  us.  Of 
course  we  are  to  bear  this  toil  and  trouble,  and  to  ex- 
perience this  darkness  and  loneliness,  but  that  is  not 
the  leading  thought  in  the  tiymn.  The  leading  thought 
is,  that  Christ  is  with  us.  That  is  its  key-note.  That 
is  what  animated  the  mind   of  the   author  when  he 

36 


422  SOME  FAMILIAR  TONES   OMITTED. 

wrote  it.  Now,  if  in  singing  this  hymn  our  minds  are 
not  in  the  same  posture  of  delight  at  the  thought  of 
Christ's  supporting  presence,  our  musical  rendering 
will  be  false,  and  the  true  impression  of  the  hymn  lost. 
But  what  kind  of  performance  do  we  hear  from  most 
of  our  choirs  in  a  hymn  of  this  kind  ?  We  hear  almost 
nothing  that  expresses  the  prevailing  sentiment  of  the 
hymn.  The  choir  seem  hardly  to  have  raised  any  ques- 
tion as  to  what  that  sentiment  is.  Their  strength  is  to 
be  laid  out  on  particular  words  and  phrases.  They  see 
in  the  hymn  the  words,  "  sadness,"  "  dark  and  drear," 
"  storm  is  sweeping,"  "lonely  valley,"  "  chilling  stream," 
and  they  take  the  greatest  pains  to  express  these 
phrases,  and  to  make  them  as  dreary  as  possible,  with- 
out an  apparent  thought  of  Christ's  being  with  us  in 
all  to  banish  our  "  sadness,"  and  to  make  the  valley 
anything  but  "  lonely."  Such  a  performance  is  a  mere 
playing  upon  words,  while  it  misses  or  ignores  the  real 
import  of  the  hymn,  and  instead  of  helping  its  proper 
impression,  injures  it.  There  is  no  doubt  that  many 
choirs  would  deliberately  select  a  doleful  tune  for  this 
hymn,  judging  from  the  words  "  sadness"  and  "  lonely 
valley,"  that  such  a  tune  was  required.  And  here  is  a 
sufficient  reason,  if  there  were  no  other,  why  we  should 
have  a  book  for  use  in  public  worship  in  which  hymns 
and  tunes  are  appropriately  united. 

11.  The  Sabbath  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  omits  tunes 
which  are  not  adapted  to  congregational  song.  Doubt- 
less many  persons  will  miss  from  this  collection  certain 
favorite  old  times,  which  they  would  wish  to  see.  To 
lovers  of  psalmody  there  are  usually  a  few  such  tunes, 
without  which  no  collection  is,  in  their  view,  complete. 


OVER-ESTIMATED  TUNES.  423 

As  the  hope  of  pleasing  all  would  be  vain,  since  no 
two  persons  would  make  the  same  selection  for  a  book 
of  this  kind,  it  becomes  necessary  that  principles, 
rather  than  individual  preferences,  should  determine  the 
admission  of  the  tunes.  The  regard  in  which  we  hold 
a  favorite  tune  is  not  always  based  upon  any  intelligent 
estimate  of  its  value.  That  may  be  the  best  of  tunes 
to  us,  which,  when  subjected  to  the  test  either  of  a 
musical  analysis  or  of  actual  use,  is  demonstrated  to 
be  totally  unfit  for  the  congregation.  It  is  remarkable 
what  power  there  is  in  certain  much  admired  hymns 
to  introduce  into  favor  very  objectionable  tunes,  and 
delude  us  into  the  belief  that  the  tunes  are  as  good  as 
the  hymns.  The  popularity  of  the  old  tune  Jordan  is 
a  remarkable  illustration  of  the  power  of  the  hymn, 
"  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight."  The  tune  Stephens 
would  have  been  as  much  admired  as  Brattle  Street, 
if  it  had  always  been  sung  to  the  hymn,  "  While  thee  I 
seek,  protecting  power."  Naomi  owes  much  of  its 
popularity  to  the  words,  "  Father  whate'er  of  earthly 
bliss."  The  hymn,  "  Why  do  we  mourn  departing 
friends,"  if  sung  in  a  season  of  affliction,  would  attach 
one  to  a  worse  tune  than  China.  Cowper  is  far  from 
being  a  perfect  tune,  but  we  seldom  think  of  its  defects 
when  singing  the  words,  "  There  is  a  fountain  filled 
with  blood."  "  Rock  of  Ages  "  furnishes  another  simi- 
lar example.  If  we  may  be  deceived  in  regard  to  the 
real  merits  of  tunes  thus  associated,  and  if  they  have 
faults  which  are  a  serious  obstacle  to  success  in  con- 
gregational singing,  should  we  not  willingly,  for  the 
sake  of  so  worthy  a  cause,  allow  them  to  be  dropped  ? 
No  one  person  should  select  the  tunes  for  so  wide  a 
use  as  this  book  contemplates,  in  the  exercise  of  his 


424  RECAPITULATION. 

own  unaided  judgment.  Dr.  Mason  is  probably  as 
well  qualified  to  do  this  as  any  one  ;  but  his  selection, 
in  this  case,  was  made  with  the  help  of  a  hundred  lists 
of  tunes,  prepared  in  as  many  different  sections  of  the 
country,  and  representing  what  were  considered,  in 
those  respective  districts,  the  most  approved  and  ser- 
viceable tunes  in  use.  By  these  lists  he  was  guided, 
and  it  is  probable  that  the  selection  he  has  made  comes 
as  near  to  meeting  the  public  want,  in  its  widest  ex- 
tent, as  any  selection  of  resoectable  and  suitable  tunes 
could  do. 


12.    Brief  statement   of  Rules  for    Congregational 
Singing. 

For  the  sake  of  presenting  compactly  the  principal 
heads  of  remark  contained  in  the  latter  part  of  this 
chapter,  bearing  upon  what  are  believed  to  be  the  best 
methods  of  conducting  congregational  song,  we  have 
gathered  these  heads  into  the  subjoined  table  of  prac- 
tical Rules. 

(1.)  The  congregation  should  staTid  when  they  sing. 

(2.)  They  should  rise,  simultaneously  and  promptly, 
when  the  organist,  in  giving  out  the  tune,  has  reached 
the  beginning  of  the  last  line. 

(3.)  They  should  stand,  in  the  usual  attitude  of  wor- 
ship, facing  the  pulpit. 

(4.)  If  the  help  of  a  choir  of  singers,  well  disposed 
toward  congregational  singing,  can  be  secured,  they 
may  be  of  great  service  in  leading  the  congregation. 
But  if  the  congregation  are  not  led  by  a  choir,  they 
should  be  led  by  a  precentor. 

(5.)   The  organ  and  the  choir  or  precentor  should  be 


TABLE   OF   RULES.  425 

in  front  of  the  congregation,  near  the  pulpit,  and  on 
the  same  level  with  the  pews. 

(6.)  Children  should  be  instructed  in  singing,  at 
home  and  in  the  schools,  and  should  be  encouraged  to 
sing  with  the  congregation. 

(7.)  The  greater  part  of  the  congregation,  male  and 
female,  should  sing  upon  the  treble  of  the  tunes.  It  is 
indispensable  that  there  be  men's  voices  on  this  part. 

(8.)  Let  the  hymns  and  tunes  that  are  used  be  made 
familiar  by  frequent  rehearsals,  both  in  public  and  in 
families. 

(9.)   Use  any  given  hymn  always  with  the  same  tune. 

(10.)  Use  a  book  in  which  the  hymn  and  tune  are 
upon  one  page. 

(11.)  Let  the  singing  be  in  steady  uniform  time  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  hymn,  without  any 
noticeable  acceleration  or  slackening  of  the  time. 

(12.)  Let  there  be  no  forced  pauses  for  the  obser- 
vance of  punctuation,  nor  any  needless  delay  at  the 
end  of  the  lines. 

(13.)  Jjet  there  be  no  labored  effort  after  "expres- 
sion," by  means  of  frequent  and  sudden  changes  from 
soft  to  loud  and  the  reverse,  or  by  the  swelling  and 
tapering  of  the  voice,  or  by  studied  accentuation. 

(14.)  The  connection  of  the  hymn  should  not  be 
broken  by  organ  interludes,  or  needless,  long  pauses. 

(15.)  The  singing  of  a  familiar  hymn  will  often  be 
more  spirited  if  the  reading  of  it  from  the  pulpit  is 
omitted. 

(16.)  Use  tunes  that  are  strictly  congregational  in 
their  structure.  But,  until  these  are  learned,  it  may  be 
advisable  to  use  such  choir  tunes,  judiciously  selected, 
as  are  already  familiar. 

36* 


WARREN    F.   DRAPER, 

I^TTBLISHEI^     .A.3NriD     BO  OKISELLEU,, 
ANDOVER,    MASS. 

Pnblislies  and  offers  for  Sale  the  following,  whkli  will  be  sent  post  paid  on  receipt  of  the  sum  named. 


GTJERICKE'S   CHUKCH  HISTOKY.    Translated  by  W.  G.  T.  Shedd, 
Brown  Professor  in  Andover  Theological  Seminary.    438  pp.  8vo.    $2.25, 

This  volume  includes  the  period  of  the  Ancient  Chuech  (the  first  six  centuries,  A.  C.)or  the 
Apostolic  and  Patristic  Church. 

We  regard  Professor  Shedd's  version,  now  under  notice,  as  a  happy  specimen  of  the  tean  s- 
ruaiON  rather  than  a  teanslatiox,  which  many  of  the  German  treatises  should  receive. 
The  style  of  his  version  is  far  superior  to  that  of  the  original.—  [Bib.  Sacra,  Jan.  1858. 

DISCOUHSES    AND    ESSAYS.    By  Prof.  W.  G.  T.  Shedd.    271  pp. 

12mo.    85  cts. 

Few  clearer  and  more  penetrating  minds  can  be  found  in  our  country  than  that  of  Prof. 
Shedd.  And  besides,  he  writes  with  a  chaste  and  sturdy  eloquence,  transparent  as  crystal ;  so 
that  if  he  goes  deep,  we  love  to  follow  him.  If  the  mind  gets  dull,  or  dry,  or  ungovernable, 
put  it  to  grappling  with  these  masterly  productions.  —  [Congregational 'Herald,  Chicago. 

The  striking  sincerity,  vigor,  and  learning  of  this  volume  will  be  admired  even  by  those  read- 
ers who  cannot  go  with  the  author  in  all  his  opinions.  Whatever  debate  the  philosophical  ten- 
dencies of  the  book  may  challenge,  its  literary  ability  and  moral  spirit  will  be  commended  every 
where.  —  New  Englander. 

These  discourses  are  al  marked  by  profound  thought  and  perspicuity  of  sentiment.— 
Princeton  JReview. 

LECTUilES    UPON    THE    PHILOSOPHY   OP   HISTORY.     By 

Prof.  W.  G.  T.  Shedd.    128  pp.    12mo.    60  cents. 

Contents.  —  The  abstract  Idea  of  History.  —  The  Nature  and  Definition  of  Secular  History. 
—  The  Nature  and  Definition  of  Church  History.  —  The  Veritying  Test  in  Church  History. 

The  style  of  these  Lectures  has  striking  merits.  The  author  chooses  his  words  with  rare  skill 
and  taste,  from  an  ample  vocabulary,  and  writes  with  strength  and  refreshing  simplicity.  The 
Philosopliy  of  Realism,  in  application  to  history  and  historical  theology,  is  advocated  by  vigor- 
ous reasoning,  and  made  intelligible  by  original  and  felicitous  illustrations.  —  Keio  Englander. 

Professor  Shedd  has  already  achieved  a  high  reputation  for  the  union  of  philosophic  insight 
with  genuine  scholarship,  of  depth  and  clearness  of  thought  with  force  and  elegance  of  style, 
and  for  profound  views  of  sin  and  grace,  cherished  not  merely  on  theoretical,  but  still  more  on 
moral  and  experimental  grounds.  —  Princeton  JReview, 

OUTLINES  OP  A  SYSTEMATIC  RHETORIC.    From  the  German 
of  Dr.  Francis  Theremin,  by  William  G.  T.  Shedd.    Third  and  Revised 
Edition,  with  an  Introductory  Essay  by  the  translator,    pp.  216.  12mo.  75  cts. 
This  is  a  work  of  much  solid  value.    It  is  adapted  to  advanced  students,  and  can  be  read  and 
reread  with  advantage  by  professed  public  speakers,  however  accomplished  they  may  be  in  the 
important  art  of  persuasion.    This  edition  is  an  improvement  upon  the  other,  containing  a  new 
introductory  essay,  illustrating  the  leading  position  of  the  work,  and  a  series  of  questions  adapt- 
ing it  to  the  use  of  the  student.  —  Boston  Recorder. 

It  is  not  a  work  of  surface  suggestions,  but  of  thorough  and  philosophic  analysis,  and,  as  such, 
is  of  great  value  to  the  student,  and  especially  to  him  who  habitually  addresses  men  on  the  most 
important  themes.  —  (Congregational  Quarterly. 

The  Introductory  Essay  which  Professor  Shedd  has  prefixed  to  this  valuable  Treatise,  is  elab- 
orate, vigorous,  impressive.  It  excites  the  mind  not  only  to  thought,  but  also  to  the  expression 
of  thought,  to  inward  and  outward  activity.  The  whole  volume  is  characterized  by  fteshnesa 
and  originality  of  remark,  a  purity  and  earnestness  of  moral  feeling.  —  £i6.  Sacra,  1859. 

a 


Pi(hlications  ofW.F.  Draper^  Andover. 

BIBIilOTHECA     SACBA     AND     BIBLICAL     BEPOSITOBT. 

E.  A.  Park  and  S.  H.  Tatlor,  Editors.    Published  at  Andover  on  the  first 

of  January,  April,  July  and  October. 

Each  number  contains  about  225  pages,  making  a  volume  of  900  pages  yearly.  This  work  is 
larger,  by  more  than  100  pages  per  volume  than  any  other  religious  quarterly  in  the  country. 

This  Review  is  edited  by  Prof.  E.  A.  Park,  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  and  S.  H.  Taylor, 
LL.  D.,  of  Phillips  Academy,  Andover.  Among  its  regular  contributors,  are  eminent  scholars 
connected  with  various  theological  and  collegiate  institutions  of  the  United  States.  Its  pages 
will  be  enriched  by  such  contributions  from  Foreign  Missionaries  in  the  East  as  may  illustrate 
the  Biblical  Record  ;  and  also  by  such  essays  from  distinguished  naturalists  as  may  elucidate 
the  agreement  between  Science  and  Religion.  It  is  the  organ  of  no  clique  or  party,  but  aims 
to  exhibit  the  broad  scriptural  views  of  truth,  and  to  cherish  a  catholic  spirit  among  the  con- 
flicting schools  of  evangelical  divines. 

"  Questions  of  philosophy  and  the  analysis  of  language,  of  Biblical  and  literary  criticism,  of 
the  constitution  and  life  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  of  practical  morality  and  evangelical  religion, 
of  biblical  geography  and  the  interpretation  of  prophecy,  and  the  relation  of  Science  to  Religion, 
together  with  ample  literary  intelligence,  both  foreign  and  domestic,"— these  make  up  the 
matter  of  each  number,  and  cannot  fail  to  interest  Christian  Scholars,  Clergymen  and  Laymen. 

Terms.  —  $4.00  per  annum.  A  discount  of  25  per  cent,  will  be  made  to  those  who  pay 
STRICTLY  IJT  ADVANCE,  and  receive  the  numbers  directly  from  the  office  of  publication,  post- 
age UNPAID.    When  supplied  by  agents,  $3,50,  in  advance  ;  otherwise  $4.00. 

Postage.  —  The  4)ostage  is  five  cents  per  number,  or  twenty  cents  per  year,  to  any  part 
of  the  United  States. 

TESTIMONY  OP  THE  PBESS. 

The  articles,  treating  of  interesting  themes  useful  to  the  general  scholar  as  well  as  the  theolo- 
gian, fully  sustain  the  very  high  character  of  this  quarterly,  which,  restricted  to  no  sect,  and 
broad  in  its  range  of  thought  and  instruction,  has  commended  itself  to  the  best  minds  in  our 
own  nnd  foreign  lands.    [Boston  Courier. 

This,  as  is  well  known,  is  the  great  religious  Quarterly  of  New  England,  if  not  of  the  coun- 
try, and  IS  held  in  Ingh  estimation  in  England  and  Germany  as  the  principal  organ  of  biblical 
and  philological  criticism  in  the  English  language. 

This  work  as  now  conducted,  deserves  a  large  and  generous  patronage  from  clergymen  of  all 
denominations.    [Puritan  Recorder. 

No  Parish  is  either  poor  or  rich  enough  to  be  able  to  do  without  its  benefit  to  its  pastor. 
[Congregatioualist. 

INDEX  TO  THE  BIBLIOTHECA  SACBA  AND  BIBLICAL 
REPOSITORY,  Volumes  1  to  13  (from  1844  to  1856.)  Containing  an  Index 
of  Subjects  and  Authors,  a  Topical  Index,  and  a  list  of  Scripture  Texts.  Pa- 
per covers,  »1. 75,  cloth,  $2.00;   half  goat,  $2.50, 

BIBLICAL  REPOSITOBY,  First  Series,  comprising  the  twelve  volumes 
from  the  commencement  of  the  work  to  1838.  The  first  four  volumes  contain 
each  four  numbers  ;  the  succeeding  eight  volumes,  two  numbers  each.  A  few 
sets  only  remain. 

The  Biblical  Repository  was  commenced  at  Andover,  in  1831.  The  present  series  of  the  Bib- 
Uotheca  Sacra  was  commenced  in  1844.  The  two  periodicals  were  united  in  1851.  The  volume 
of  the  combined  periodicals  for  the  present  year  (1858)  is  the  forty-sixth  of  the  Biblical  Repos- 
itory and  the  fifteenth  of  the  iJibliotheca  Sacra. 


VIE'W    OF    ANDOVER.    A  finely  executed  Lithographic  View  of  An- 
dover, on  a  sheet  18  by  24  iuclies,  exclusive  of  the  margm. 
The  sheet  contains  a  \aew  of  the  Town  from  the  west,  and  an  enlarged  delineation  of  the 

Literary  Institutions  in  the  border.    It  will  be  sent  by  mail,  post  paid,  on  receipt  of  $1,25. 


DATF  DUE 

DEMCO  38-297 

w 

mm 

DATE  DUE                               1 

■  ', 

Printed 
In  USA 

HIGHSMITH  #45230 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  L.brary 


1    1012  01042  0968 


